Two days of prayers, but also of celebration. It is the Timket, the Epiphany of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Church, a very heartfelt feast.

For days, thousands of pilgrims are marching to reach the holy places of orthodoxy. The center of the festivities, however, will be Lalibela, the Ethiopian Jerusalem where the most impressive celebrations are held in the rock churches and where participation is more massive.

On January 19, in the holy city, bishops, monks, priests and deacons organized a long procession. The faithful sing and dance in the streets accompanying the procession. Then, all night long, they remained there to pray. In the morning, the ceremony ended with the sprinkling of the faithful with holy water.

This year’s celebrations were more involved than the 2017 edition, when the country was under a state of emergency imposed on anti-government protests. Last year, local tour operators feared that political unrest would frighten visitors, who usually arrive in large numbers.

Ethiopia is one of the oldest Christian nations in the world. Despite the growing influence of Islam, the traditional Orthodox church remains strong.