Christmas in Ethiopia

Christmas in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia the current year isn’t 2015 – it is 2008. The Julian calendar is used, so Christmas is celebrated on 7 January, and New Year’s Day is on 11 September. We saw nothing to do with Christmas during December when we celebrated Christmas, and even in January there were few decorations or signs of Christmas. It is not a very commercial holiday in Ethiopia.
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Few people had a Christmas tree, and those who did used a few branches which were decorated a few days before their Christmas day. The Christmas trees we saw were decorated with soft paper or cotton balls for snow, balloons, and pictures of Jesus. On all special holidays, including Christmas, the floor is covered with grass.

The special Christmas dish is doro wat, which is a delicious thick spicy stew with chicken and whole boiled eggs in it. It is eaten with injera, a thin sourdough flatbread used to scoop up the wat instead of using cutlery. The special drink for Christmas is made from barley. On Christmas Day many people wear traditional Ethiopian dress. It is a day for families to gather together, to eat and enjoy time together. Gift-giving is not a big part of Christmas. Family members may give small gifts. People told us that only families with lots of money talk about Santa Claus or Father Christmas.

doro wat
injera
wat
On Christmas Day, called ganna in Amharic, men and boys may play a game similar to hockey, using a wooden ball and a curved stick. The LDS Church celebrates with a party, a nativity, and the choir singing. It is a local tradition that one of the wise men who visited the Christ Child came from Ethiopia. Twelve days after Christmas a 3 day holiday, called Timkat , is celebrated, commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ.
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ganna
Timkat

'He was born, so I have His perfect example to follow and can ask myself, in every situation, what HE would do, as I try to become more Christlike.' 

'He was born, so I have His perfect example to follow and can ask myself, in every situation, what HE would do, as I try to become more Christlike.' 
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