Ethiopia: Upcoming Religious Festivals

Flamboyant and spiritually uplifting, Ethiopia’s religious festivals give you the chance to be part of an authentic experience unlike any other and to leave with enduring memories. 

Ethiopian Christmas (Genna) which will be celebrated on January 7th 2017, is unique and wondrous everywhere but particularly special at the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, where thousands of pilgrims come from all over the country to participate in the colorful midnight mass where priests chant and dance along to rhythmic drum beats.

Ethiopian Epiphany (Timket) which will be celebrated on January 19th 2017 has rituals and ceremonies involving the replicas of the Ark of the Covenant. The festival colorfully organized and resembling scenes from the Old Testament is celebrated all over the country but is particularly special in Gondar, where it is conducted around a 17th century royal bath pool. 

The Ethiopian Tourism Organization invites you to experience these unique century-old religious festivals with the warmest of welcomes.