Ethiopian Easter

Ethiopian Easter, which takes place in Orthodox Churches throughout the country, tends to fall after Easter in the western calendar. It is a more important festival than Christmas, since death is more important than birth in Orthodox Christianity.

Easter Friday is a day of preparation and church-going. People go and prostrate themselves in church, up and down, up and down... 101 times! The main religious mass takes place on Saturday night, a sombre, sacred occasion with music and dancing until the early hours of the morning. At 3am, everyone returns home to break their fast and a chicken is slaughtered at midnight for the symbolic occasion.

In the morning, after a rest, a sheep is slaughtered to commence the feasting on Easter Sunday. A day when people really let go, there is a release of enjoyment after the long build-up of suffering which has taken place. People often overdose on food and locally brewed alcohol (tej, tella and katikalla).