Ethiopia tours and travel

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Vacations in Ethiopia: Ethiopian Christmas in Lalibela

Vacations in Ethiopia: Ethiopian Christmas in Lalibela: Ethiopian Christmas in Lalibela, the holiest town in Ethiopia, thousands of People is gathering to attend the festivals. At the eve of Chri...

Travel Story Be amazed in fascinating Ethiopia in 2015

Travel Story
Be amazed in fascinating Ethiopia in 2015
(by Hon TF from Malaysia, hontoofang@yahoo.com)

http://www.witnessethiopiatours.com/pdf/Ethiopia-WET-PDF-02.pdf

Traditional costume and food in Ethiopia

Traditional dress, though often now supplanted by Western attire, may still be seen throughout much of the countryside. National dress is usually worn for festivals, when streets and meeting-places are transformed into a sea of white as finely woven cotton dresses, wraps decorated with coloured woven borders, and suits are donned. A distinctive style of dress is found among the Oromo horsemen of the central highlands, who, on ceremonial days such as Maskal, attire themselves in lions' manes or baboon-skin headdresses and, carrying hippo-hide spears and shields, ride down to the main city squares to participate in the parades.

Ethiopians are justifiably proud of the range of their traditional costumes. The most obvious identification of the different groups is in the jewellery, the hair styles and the embroidery of the dresses. The women of Amhara and Tigray wear dozens of plaits (sheruba), tightly braided to the head and billowing out at the shoulders. The women of Harar part their hair in the middle and make a bun behind each ear. Hamer, Geleb, Bume and Karo men form a ridge of plaited hair and clay to hold their feathered headwear in place. Arsi women have fringes and short, bobbed hair. Bale girls have the same, but cover it with a black head cloth, while young children often have their heads shaved.

Jewellery in silver and gold is worn by both Muslims and Christians, often with amber or glass beads incorporated. Heavy brass, copper and ivory bracelets and anklets are also worn. Ethiopia also has a rich tradition of both secular and religious music, singing and dancing, and these together constitute an important part of Ethiopian cultural life. Singing accompanies many agricultural activities, as well as religious festivals and ceremonies surrounding life's milestones - birth, marriage and death.

Traditional Food

Dining in Ethiopia is characterized by the ritual of breaking "injera" and sharing food from a common plate, signifying the bonds of loyalty and friendship. The traditional way of eating is with fingers. "Injera" is placed on the plate with variety of dishes decoratively arranged around it. A small portion of "Injera" is torn off and wrapped around a mouthful of the selected dish.

"Injera", our staple bread, is a flat bread made of "Teff", a fine grain unique to Ethiopia. "Wot" is dipping sauce which maybe prepared using a variety of meats, fish, and vegetables. "Wot" is cooked with "Berbere" (Ethiopian seasoning prepared from matured red chili pepper and other exotic spices) which may range from very mild to spicy hot. "Alitcha" is more mildly spiced dipping sauce prepared with a variety of meats or vegetables.

Ethiopian dishes are prepared with a distinctive variety of unique spices for an unforgettably striking dimension to exotic cookery.

Ethiopian Epiphany in Gonder

Orthodox Priest Ethiopia

Ethiopian Epiphany in Gonder

Title: Ethiopian Epiphany in Gonder
Tour Code: WETT - 028
Duration : 7 NIGHTS AND 8 DAYS
Start: January 16
End: January 23



Jan. 16
Arrival in Addis Ababa and transfer. Overnight Hotel.

Jan 17
Fly to Bahir Dar; get transferred to the hotel & visit Bahir Dar market - a bustling market in which cereals, clay made utensils, leather bound baskets, local cotton fabric, fruits and vegetables etc can be seen. You will have also a half-day boat trip over Lake Tana to Ura Kidane Mehret monastery where you visit the religious wall paintings, parchment books, crosses, crowns and robes of different kings and other religious artifacts. Overnight Hotel.

Jan 18
Fly to Gonder, get transferred to hotel. Then you will visit the Gonder castle compound (World Heritage Site).Starting around 3:30 P.M you will attend the colouful processions of the eve of Ethiopian Epiphany. In this procession, the replicas of the original Ark (Tabots) from different churches will be removed and are carried by priests under huge, colorful umbrellas. Deacons also carry processional crosses, religious paintings and bells. On the occasion, a lot of people will sing, dance and ululate accompanying the priests all the way to the place where the Tabots are supposed to make there over nights (Pool of King Fasildes). Overnight Hotel.

Jan 19
In the morning you will visit the remaining sites of Gonder like the beautiful Debere Brhan Selassie church. Today is the main day for the celebration of the Ethiopian Epiphany. So you will have a chance to see the sprinkling of the blessed holy water in remembrance of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the river Jordan in the hands of John the Baptist. The Tabots are also carried back to their original places in the same way that they are brought. Overnight Hotel.

Jan 20
Fly to Lalibela and attend the celebration of St.Michael's day. In addition, you will visit the 1st group of King Lalibela's rock hewn churches. Overnight Hotel. Jan 21. Mule ride to Asheten Mariam Monastery which is situated at 3000meters above sea level. And in the afternoon you visit the 2nd group of King Lalibela's churches. Overnight Hotel.

Jan 22
Fly to Axum and visit the historical and archaeological sites in Axum. These include the archaeological museum, main stele field, the ruined palace of King Kaleb and King Geber Meskel, stone inscriptions, subterranean tombs, the ruined palace of the Queen of Sheba. Overnight Hotel.

Jan 23
Visit the remaining sites in Axum like Axum Tsion church where the original holy Ark of the Covenant is believed to be housed. Then fly back to Addis Ababa. Overnight Hotel.

People , Culture and Religions in Ethiopia

People , Culture  and Religions in Ethiopia

Ethiopia's population is highly diverse. Most of its people speak a Semitic or Cushitic language. The Oromo, Amhara, and Tigreans make up more than three-fourths of the population, but there are more than 83 different ethnic groups with their own distinct languages within Ethiopia. Some of these have as few as 10,000 members. In general, most of the Christians live in the highlands, while Muslims and adherents of traditional African religions tend to inhabit lowland regions. English is the most widely spoken foreign language and is taught in all secondary schools. Amharic is the official language and was the language of primary school instruction but has been replaced in many areas by local languages such as Oromifa and Tigrinya.

The main religions in Ethiopia are Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Paganism. Ethiopia is a predominantly Christian country and the majority of Christians are Orthodox Tewahedo Christians, who belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. There are a minority of Christians who are Roman Catholic or Protestant. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is headed by a patriarch and is related to the communion of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Syrian Orthodox Church and Malankara Orthodox Church of India.

Christianity in Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Orthodox Union church, an autonomous Christian Church headed by a patriarch and closely related to the Coptic Church of Egypt, was the state church of Ethiopia until 1974.

Ethiopia has a rich history that predates the Old Testament. According to the Old Testament, The Queen of Sheba was born in Axum, but travelled to Israel to meet King Solomon. They had a son named Menelik, who later became the first emperor of Ethiopia and adopted Christianity in Ethiopia about the beginning of 4th Century long before Europe accepted Christianity. Menelik brought the original Ark of the Covenant back to Ethiopia from Israel. Today, the Arc, which once housed the Ten Commandments, remains well hidden in Axum. It is guarded by a select group of monks, whose sole commitment is to protect the sacred vessel. Ethiopia's religious tradition is reflected in the day-to-day lifestyle of the people, and nowhere does this spiritual energy echo more than in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Ethiopian Muslims history 
In Islamic history and tradition, Ethiopia (Abyssinia or Al-Habasha) is known as the "Haven of the First Migration or Hijra." For Muslims, Ethiopia is synonymous with freedom from persecution and emancipation from fear.

Ethiopia was a land where its king, Negus or Al-Najashi, was a person renowned for justice and in whose land human rights were cherished.

The first migration [Hijra] of the Companions and relatives of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to Ethiopia celebrates the birth of freedom of expression and beliefs, whereas, the Second Migration of the Prophet Muhammad to the Madinah celebrates the end of oppression.
The meaning and the significance of "Hijra" is embodied in the Islamic calendar. Since its inception, the Islamic calendar represents a history of perpetual struggle between truth and falsehood, faith and blasphemy, freedom and oppression, light and darkness, and between peace and war.

www.witnessethiopiatours.com

Tours to Ethiopia: Historic Ethiopia Attractions

Tours to Ethiopia: Historic Ethiopia Attractions: That Ethiopia has a heritage from the beginnings of mankind was underlined when the remains of ‘Lucy’, dated from 3.5 million years ago, a...