18/01/2026
Melkam Timkat! The most famous and biggest of festivals in the (EOC)is . It’s celebrated at every EOC church. This festival celebrates the by John on the river Jordan, however it covers three days. The first day - usually (18 Jan) is the eve of Timkat, and (replicas of Moses’ tablets of stone wrapped up in brocaded cloth carried on the head of a high priest under a brocaded umbrella) are processed out with great joy and celebration going from the church to a special site for the festival. Hundreds of people follow the Tabot from their church with dancing, singing and drumbeats. Icons and crosses are carried as well as the Tabots. Incense is burned, people bow and prostate themselves before the Tabot. The ground is cleaned and carpets are laid as a mark of respect.
The big ceremony takes place on the morning of Timkat, with mass, and a blessing of water which is then sprayed or splashed to the worshippers who also looked to collect this holy water to take home. All of the Tabots - except that of Mikael then paraded back to their churches in a similar joyful style. The next day is St. Mikael‘s day and is also known as and commemorates the wedding festival at Cana. Around mid morning the Mikael Tabots. This is a very special day and often thousands will be following this tablet and in many places traditional horse racing known as ‘Gooks’ takes place.
Why is Timkat often translated as Epiphany? It is in fact the Eastern church celebration of epiphany. Back in the distant past before the nativity was celebrated with Christmas there was a festival to celebrate all of the events in Christ’s life that manifested his divinity. In time, in the Western Church, this became the visit of the wisemen or Magi. Whereas in the Eastern Church, it is his baptism in the Jordan river. Celebrations of this I found in Greece, Russia and across the orthodox world. But in Ethiopia, it has become a very big celebration.
