Timkat, The Ethiopian coptic Epiphany

The Timkat is a religious festivalheld each january in Ethiopia which recalls the baptism of Christ. Thousands of pilgrims all around Ethiopia make processions praying and chanting till the next morning when the participants symbolically renew their baptismal vows.

The 11th day of Terr in the Ethiopian calendar, corresponding in 2020 to January 20th, is celebrated the Timkat which recalls the baptism of Christ. This festival is best known for its ritual reenactment of baptism and the thousands of pilgrims that all around Ethiopia make processions. This procession, in particular, held in Bahir Dar ended in a church where the faithful prayed and sang until the next morning when, towards dawn, the water of a swimming pool was blessed and sprayed with pipes on the participants. who thus symbolically renew the baptismal vows.

UNESCO in 2019 inscribed Timkat on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.