BY TEWODROS KASSA
Ethiopia embraces diversified tangible and intangible tourist attractions. Being home to ancient civilizations, it has unique cultural assets that have not been erased for centuries. Timket is one of the leading street festivals that are celebrated throughout the country with a huge gathering of the Christianity followers.
Ethiopian Timket (the Baptism of the Jesus Christ) has gained more attention among the local and international tourists to attend. Numerous international tourists cross thousands of kilo metres to attend the Timket festival annually.
Currently, it is widely known that the festival is among the leading opportunity to showcase cultural assets and attract more tourists to the country. Following this, the Ethiopian Government is working aggressively to tap the untapped tourism potentials of street festivals. It is undertaking various measures to promote the tourism sector through giving due attention towards promoting the sector.
Addis Ababa City Administration Culture and Tourism Bureau Intangible Heritages Senior Expert Memhir Mekibib Gebremariam told The Ethiopian herald that Ethiopia is the land of origins that is rich with diversified cultural assets. Thus, this generation should be aware of his/her own cultural assets and values.
Street festivals like Timket plays significant roles towards stimulating the country’s tourism sector and showcase various cultural assets during the festival celebration process. More importantly, the new generation will effectively understand the value of cultural assets while observing the Timket ceremonial process and its significance. The festival celebration brings peace and togetherness among every nations, nationalities, and peoples of Ethiopia to come together and celebrate the day in unity.
Timket’s festival celebration is more colourful in Gonder, Lalibela, and Addis Ababa’s Janmeda where the celebration took place with a huge get together of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church followers and visitors. Beyond the spiritual ceremony held by priests and deacons, participants of the festival present various cultural songs, dancing, and dressing. Thus, everything taking place in Timket festival has its own values that are inherited from the forefathers/foremothers to the present generation. The new generation should also preserve the ceremonial process and inherit to the future generations through properly preserving the ceremonial process, according to him.
Recently, the Ministry of Culture and Sport announced that Timket festival have significant contributions in promoting peoples unity and togetherness. In connection with his best wish for Timket festival, Minister Kejela Merdassa said that the festival is an ideal opportunity to promote Ethiopians unity and togetherness.
“The ceremonial process of the festival reflects various cultural assets of the country. It interconnects people and promotes harmonious relations among each other. Thus, it is important to preserve these cultural assets and inherit to the future generations”, he said.
As to him, the festival enables the country to generate more from the tourism sector through attracting numerous international tourists during this season. Beyond Ethiopia, Timket festival has also become a world heritage that is registered under the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Conserving and protecting this festival will have significant roles to the country.
Moreover, the Ministry will work strenuously to promote, protect, and develop such religious and cultural assets through keeping its values. It is also everyone’s responsibility to contribute in the efforts of conserving such values of the country, he underscored.
According to local media reports, participants of the Timket street festival adorned with various cultural dressing gives colour to the holiday. Various cultural songs and dances of every nation, nationalities, and peoples will also get the chance to be displayed with one stage while the spiritual ceremony takes place. Thus, it is a special opportunity to observe the whole Ethiopia on the streets of the ceremonial occasion.
In sum, the hand-in-hand collaboration of various stakeholders is important to conserve the long aged Ethiopian unique street festivals and utilize for socio-economic development of the country. It is sought to attract more foreign tourists if properly promoted and given more attention supported with tourism sector scientific researches.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 20 JANUARY 2023
