Day # 2 - Timkat!

The orphanage was not open for visits over the weekend so we could not see our beauties again until Monday.  We wanted to make the best use of our time in Ethiopia so we took those two days and packed them full with the sights and sounds of Addis Ababa!  It was our good fate (my gift from God) that we happened to be visiting during the Timkat celebration and it was AMAZING!  Timkat is celebrated over three days starting Friday afternoon and ending Sunday evening.  It is how the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian's remember the baptism of Jesus (Epiphany) and the "tabot" or the Ark of the Covenant (the ten commandments). 

On Saturday morning staring at 12 o'clock midnight we could hear singing/chanting coming from the Bole Medhane Alem Church (International Salvation Church).  The Church is located about two miles way from our guest house and they use speakers to spread their praises.  I remember waking up at wondering if I had left our window open (which I had not) and what time it was!?!  They sang for at least two hours and then began again around 6am.  It was a beautifully unique experience to wake up to the first rays of sunlight and the sound of God's praises echoing through the crisp morning.  I opened the window and let it welcome me. 

Here is a picture of the Bole Medhane Alem Church and a picture of the view from our room that morning:

 

We had scrambled eggs, Italian style baked bread rolls with jam, and delicious fresh roasted buna (coffee) for breakfast and then set off to tour the Holy Trinity Cathedral.  The streets were busy with lots of people dressed in traditional Ethiopian attire and flags with green, yellow, and red (Ethiopia's colors) were strung across the roads to decorate for the big party.

 

Here are some photos we took at the Holy Trinity Cathedral:

 



Just after we finished  admiring the church our driver hollered to us, "Hurry!  Give me your camera!"  At that moment we saw a small caravan of cars drive up to the back steps of the cathedral.  "It's the Pope!  This is big, VERY big."  he said to us :)

Here is one of the photos our driver got of the Pope:

 

We felt very honored to get a glimpse at the leader of the Ethiopian Orthodox church on such a special day for the Orthodox religion.

 

After visiting Holy Trinity we went to find a place to park the van and join the Timkat parade on foot.  Almost all of the street had been blocked off so our driver stopped in front of a police officer and asked if there was anywhere we could park.  The officer said no all the streets were closed for Timkat.  Just as we were about to drive away the policeman saw us in the back of the van and motioned for my husband to open the window.  He did and the officer asked us where we were from.  "The United Sates of American," we answered.  "Oh, welcome our brother county!  You may park right here."  he said and pointed to a spot about 25 feet away :)  After that, no other cars were let in.  We walked for about a block and the streets just kept filling and filling with people.  I will not be able to describe Timkat fairly, but let me just said it was AMAZING!

 

Here are some of our Timkat photos:

           

        

 

There was singing, dancing, bright colors, and beautifully dressed, happy people everywhere!  Young men would run past us with large rolls of red carpet and lay them down in the streets.  As soon as the carpets were put down young women would come with brooms to sweep any debris off of them.  They women were barefoot and the carpet was considered Holy, so no one from the croud would step on it.  This went on for a few hours and it was just fantastic!

 

We followed the tabot to a church and then the crowds began to thin down.  Many people continued on with the "parade" to the next church and some walked home.  We decide to find a place for lunch/supper near by and get off of our feet.  It was almost 2pm by the time we sat down to take a break and my feet where filling it (the long airplane rides from the previous days had aggravated my RA), but it had been such an exciting day I had to force myself to sit!  After lunch my husband and I were finished and need to take a rest so we returned to the guest house to freshen up.

 

After a quick break we decided to go to the National Museum.  It is were the most complete and oldest discovered bipedalism "Lucy" lives.  Lucy is estimated to have lived 3.2 million years ago and was discovered in 1974 in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia.  Ethiopia is believed to be where human kind began (maybe the Garden of Eden is somewhere in ET!)

 

Here are some pictures of us at the National Museum:

 

 

 We left the musuem and walked through an art museum and then came upon this HUGE turtle in an open turtle refuge:

 

 And this awesome car:

 

And then drove past Addis Ababa University (I have read several books that mentioned this gate):

 

 

 

Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise,
who shout on parade in the bright presence of God.
Delighted, they dance all day long; they know
who you are, what you do—they can’t keep it quiet!
Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—
you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air!
All we are and have we owe to God,
Holy God of Israel, our King!

Psalms 89:15-18

 



  Two days down, four to go!!!