BY TEWODROS KASSA
“When I visited Lalibela for Christmas celebrations this past January, the altitude—8,600 feet above sea level—and the crowds took my breath away: the tunnels and passage ways connecting the churches were crammed with devotees bumping into and even shoving one another in their rush to get from one church to another,” wrote Paul Raffaele, a Journalist, who got an opportunity to celebrate Genna, Ethiopian Christmas at the mysterious holy site of Lalibela, in the northern Ethiopia famous for monolithic rock-cut churches; and one of the holiest towns centers of pilgrimage.
Its 11 monolithic churches—carved out of the red volcanic stone in the 12th century, and now a World Heritage Site—are thronged by pilgrims every Christmas. Because of differences between Western and Ethiopian calendars and traditions, Ethiopians celebrate that holiday on what Westerners know as January 7, the journalist further elaborated in his article presented in the Smithsonian Magazine.
True, Lalibela, which is also known as the “Second Jerusalem,” is a place where hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate the annual festival of Christmas on January 7.
Today, the festival of Genna, (The Ethiopian Christmas) is being celebrated warmly and colorfully across the country. Especially at Lalibela, the day is marked stunningly in the presence of hundreds of thousands of local and international pilgrims. On the eve of Ethiopians Christmas, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed extended his best wishes for Ethiopians. The Premier said that the Birthday of Jesus Christ is considered the beginning of reconciliation among Christians. The celebration demonstrates the fact that unity has been maintained.
As to the PM, the Birth of Christ turned the age of redemption into mercy and united human beings with eternal reconciliation. Celebrating the festival is important to uniting those who were at enmity with each other. The current division and enmity being witnessed among us is not our real behavior, but it is salt of conspiracy orchestrated against us, he underlined.
Stressing the need to further forge unity despite the efforts of few against it, the Premier said that Ethiopians would be beneficial if they are able to draw lessons from the story of the Birth of Christ with a view to making the future Ethiopia better.
He also urged all to stand together and work in unison to see the new Ethiopia we want. Religious fathers from various institutions have also extended best wishes and messages to all Ethiopians.
According to them, since the Birthday of Jesus Christ is the foundation of love, courtesy and considerateness, Christians should interpret these values into practice by loving and respecting each other.
Respecting each other and living in peace and love with a sense of fraternity is God’s commandment. “Owing to this, all of us who are in charge of various responsibilities-be it spiritual and worldly works- should obey God’s commandments and execute our duty accordingly,” they remarked.
God’s becoming to this earth as a human being is a clear indication of His love to all mankind. Thus, we should also show the love that God has demonstrated for human beings to fellowmen. Mentioning that the Birth of Jesus Christ has abolished the wall of hostility between God and mankind and brought peace, the leaders said that Christians understanding that the Christmas is the festival of humility and love, they should spend the day by being more considerate to those who are in need of help for various reasons and sharing what they have.
“We should follow the exemplary deeds of Jesus Christ and perform good deeds to fellow citizens,” they highlighted.
The Ethiopian Herald 7 January 2023
