12 Days / 11 Night Ethiopian Eastern/Religious Tours

Fasika  “Ethiopian Easter”marks a very important interest and enthusiasm among the Christian community in Ethiopia being the last major religious festival. Believers of the Ethiopian Orthodox church await its arrival with great eager passing through a long lent period of 55 days where no animal product of meat, milk or egg shall not be consumed during this period.

One week before Easter is called “HeMamat” a time to remember the suffering, beatings, wounds and pains of Jesus. In this week, people would not laugh, kiss, joke or make any fun but try to be on strict remembrance of those troubles of the Lord.

Two days before Easter is called day of crucify and this normally falls on Friday. On this day people spend the whole time bowing down before God as much as they can bow down depending on their strength, age and health issue to clean themselves from any sin. Some do 1000 times some even more.

On the eve of Easter, almost all believers shall spend the night in the church doing their last religious sacrifices. Ceremonies in the church are so colorful and bygone that one would feel to be in time past at a Jew synagogue. Priests & deacons according to their ranks with their colorful Levite-looking costumes will be chanting and praying all night long. All the instruments used are very traditional ones such as the leather-made drums and also the cross-shaped prayer sticks of priests.
A week after Easter is also a colorful festival called “Dagme Tinsae”, which marks the ascension of Jesus to heaven. This is also equally celebrated with the main Easter festival.

Easter is very much attractive to be attended in the historical church of the country but more usually spend in the rock-churches of Lalibela or the ancient & first church of St. Mary of Zion church in Axum.