Timqet (Amharic: ጥምቀት, French: baptiste) is the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of both the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River and the Epiphany. It occurs on January 19.
Timqet, the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan
The holiday is known for its ritual reenactment of baptism (similar to the reenactments of many Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land when they traveled to the Jordan River).
Early Europeans who witnessed these reenactments in Ethiopia confused them with actual baptism and used this as evidence of religious error since Christians believe in "one baptism for the remission of sins."
Timqet is one of the ceremonies during which the tabots (replicas of the Ark of the Covenant) are removed from the churches to be seen by the crowd, although cloths are wrapped around them.
During the procession, which takes place the day before, the priests, dressed in colorful costumes, carry the tabots on their heads to bring them to the edge of a stream or a body of water. Around two o'clock in the morning, the divine liturgy is announced there. Towards dawn, on the day of the feast, the water is blessed and the crowd is sprinkled, some people enter entirely into the water to symbolically make their baptismal vows.
Around noon, the tabots return to the churches, again in a colorful procession during which the priests and participants sing and dance. The families then return to their homes to continue the celebration.
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Today in Ethiopia at Timqet place. Representing both the baptism of Jesus and the Epiphany, tabots (replicas of the Ark of the Covenant) are removed from churches for viewing by crowds during the festivities. #mythology #myth #legend #19January #calendar #timqand #ethiopia
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