Ethiopia 2025 – AFP

Timkat marks the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of Epiphany, commemorating the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. In Addis Ababa, the heart of the ritual unfolds at Jan Meda, a large open field that, for one day, becomes the symbolic center of religious life in the capital.

Before sunrise, senior clerics, deacons and worshippers gather around a ceremonial pool for hours of liturgy. Wrapped in golden vestments, high-ranking members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church lead prayers accompanied by chanting, drums, incense and the low murmur of a crowd that continues to grow in the early morning darkness.

At the center of the ceremony are the Tabots — replicas of the Ark of the Covenant — carried by senior clerics and displayed during the ritual. According to Ethiopian Orthodox tradition, each church possesses its own Tabot, normally kept hidden from view and revealed publicly only on rare occasions such as Timkat.

As the liturgy reaches its climax, holy water is blessed and sprayed over the crowd. Many worshippers actively seek to be soaked, pressing forward and raising their hands, reenacting the baptism through water in a moment that blends devotion, collective emotion and spectacle.

Once the religious rites conclude, the atmosphere at Jan Meda shifts noticeably. The crowd relaxes. Families sit on the grass, share food, talk, rest and play traditional games, while informal gambling takes place in small groups. Children run through the open space, and the intense ritual of the morning gives way to a more social, almost festive pause.

The celebrations then resume in motion, as the Tabots are carried in procession back to their respective churches across the city, accompanied by music, clergy and worshippers. Timkat thus unfolds not only as a religious ceremony, but as a moment where faith, tradition and everyday life briefly merge in the public space of Addis Ababa.

📸 For @afpphoto @afpnewsagency