30/12/2022
Beginning of January of each years, for Christmas celebration of Ethiopian Orthodox Church at Lalibela, a remarkable amount of pilgrims reach this holy place at least once in their life time for blessings, some travel for days.
'GENA': Ethiopian Christmas.
As the majority of Christians in Ethiopia is Orthodox and the country follow the Julian calendar, Christmas is celebrated on 7 January of the Gregorian calendar.
The 43 or 44 days (according leap years) before Christmas are fasting days to refrain from consuming dairy and animal products during all this period also everyone according to his fervor can stop eating until noon or 3 pm during this period except on Saturday and Sunday. This fasting is known as the "Tsome Nebiyat" dedicated to the prophets.
An old game that looks a lot like hockey is played with a stick with a curved-end and a wooden ball is played during the Christmas season. This game called "Ye Gena Chewata" involveving the lords as well as the servants on an equal position and the lords were not dissatisfied even when the servants won.
On Christmas Eve wearing white-clothes they goes to the nearest Church for the all-night Christmas Mass. Priests and chorals sing all night while believers applaud and burn candles.
The next day Gena is celebrated in an atmosphere of great joy by eating national dishes such as "Doro Wet" (chicken sauce), "Tere Siga" (raw meat), "Tibes" (grilles), etc. We also cut the large "Defo Dabo" bread that we prepared for the occasion in small pieces to eat and distribute it to all those who will pass by wishing us a merry Christmas. The "Tela" and the "Tej" traditional drinks will be served with the meals throughout the day.
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