Ethiopians in the diaspora celebrate Timket holiday
Addis Ababa, January 19, 2025 (FMC) –Ethiopians and people of Ethiopian origin living in various countries across the world have celebrated Timket, alias known as Ethiopian Epiphany.
Social media posts by Ethiopian embassies and missions show that Ethiopians in the Diaspora have colorfully celebrated the Holiday. The occasion was observed in the presence of Ethiopian ambassadors and/or heads of mission, diplomats, archbishops of dioceses, thousands of faithful, and friends of Ethiopia,
The annual Timket (Ethiopian Epiphany) is being colorfully celebrated, beginning in the early hours of this morning across the country.
Timket was also colorfully celebrated throughout Ethiopia today in the presence of international tourists.
With processions of priests carrying replicas of the Ark of Covenant, locally known as ‘Tabot’, and escorted by millions of people, Timket on this day is observed in commemoration of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River.
Gondar, Addis Ababa and Lalibela are the top spots of Epiphany for massive celebrations of the day.
Timket is the Ge’ez expression for the traditional celebration of Epiphany, commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ in the hands of John the Baptist at River Jordan.
In Ethiopia, various festivals attract numerous tourists in this month of January. The most popular holiday throughout the country that is celebrated in this month is Timket (Epiphany).
Epiphany denotes the manifestation of the mystery of the Trinitarian God in which God the Father testified the sonship of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit revealed itself as a dove right at the Jordan River when Jesus was baptized.
Timket is also the religious practice that initiates a child to Christendom. Timket celebration, held annually on the 19th of January, is primarily a function in the purview of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, a church possibly as old as Christianity itself.
It is worth noting that Timket was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2019.