BY LEULSEGED WORKU
The darkest time has passed witnessing Ethiopia`s greatness and its commitment for peace by going extra miles for the sake of peace itself. Ethiopians are now preparing to celebrate the feast of Epiphany- Timket- under the spirit of forgiveness, love and kindness. Decorating with traditional costumes Ethiopians have a century old culture of marking holidays, which is a unique identity of all Ethiopians across the world.
Timket and Ethiopians are two sides of a single coin. There is nothing Ethiopians will compromise when it comes to Tabot (replica of the Ark of covenant) and their sovereignty. As the masses show their commitments by escorting their parish church Tabot to Timkete- Bahir (a pool, river or artificial reservoir) and spend the night attending night-long prayer and hymen services, they also express their genuine love and commitment to Ethiopia by paying all necessary sacrifices.
Whenever the peace and stability of the nation is under threat no single soul remains silent or spends the night at home. What is more, as the day of sprinkling of blessed water marks baptism and repentance, forgiveness and humility are the true identities of Ethiopians.
These unique identities are the secret behind Ethiopia`s sustainability and driving factors towards its height. Timket, which signifies the baptism of Jesus Christ in the river Jordan in the hands of John, is one of the religious holidays Ethiopians enjoy every year. Beside its religious values, Timket has also a significant meaning to show the world Ethiopia`s unity, diversity and sustainability.
The Ethiopian epiphany that magnifies unity and tolerance among different nations and nationalities is always having a special place among all Ethiopians and Ethiopian lovers. No matter where they live or what kind of religion they follow, Ethiopians are always eagerly awaiting the feast of Timket. For this very reason, as a land of diversity and the multitude lives in tolerance, Ethiopians have a unique way of marking such special days individually as well as in groups.
Multiple factors make this Year`s Timket special and memorable for all Ethiopians. The first and the most important one is, it is a year where Ethiopians stood together for peace, wiped out anti-unified Ethiopian sentiment and came into an agreement for the sake of peace. As testified by local and international media, the agreement between the Federal government and the TPLF is the milestone t in Ethiopian politics as well as a lesson for other African countries. After two years of conflict the two signatories have reached an agreement to cease fire and sign an agreement to benefit Ethiopia and its loving children.
As Timket is arriving, several tourists are also flooding to Ethiopia to mark the holiday in various parts of the country. Places that were centers of conflicts within the past two years have now turned into tourist centers. Using this opportunity, Ethiopians are also showing their hospitality to their guests and are doing their level best to meet the interest of their guests. On its part the Ministry of Tourism has also disclosed that special tour packages have been prepared for tourists coming to Ethiopia to attend the Timket festival.
As indicated by the State Minister of Tourism, Seleshi Girma, Timket has been celebrated in Gondar with special events by Ethiopians, members of the Diaspora community and international visitors for a long time. In this regard, for this year the Ministry has prepared special tour packages so that guests could visit other tourist attraction sites in the Gondar area and in other parts of the country. “The exclusive tour packages include providing opportunities to tourists to visit tourist attraction sites in Addis Ababa, the South, North, West and East of Ethiopia after or before the Timket festival.”
Timket is a UNESCO registered intangible international cultural heritage site. For that reason, when Ethiopians mark Timket, the whole world will be reminded of Ethiopia`s unity in diversity and will be aware that the country is founded on a strong foundation.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 17 JANUARY 2023
