Timkat, Ethiopia

Christianity arrived in Ethiopia long before it spread to Europe; missionaries went there within several decades of the birth of Jesus. Ethiopia's Epiphany celebrations commemorate the same events we discussed on January 6 in relation to Epiphany in Western Christianity, those surrounding the visit of the Magi (Three Wise men) to the infant Jesus.

Today in Eastern Orthodox churches is also celebrated because of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by St John the Baptist. Usually called the Feast of the Theophany (Greek: Θεοφάνεια, 'God shining forth'), it is one of the great feasts of the liturgical year. In the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, it is known as Timkat ...

Categories: ethiopia, christianity, calendarcustoms