Historic route and Timket Festival

Journey into the Heart of Ethiopia’s past during Ethiopian Epiphany or"TIMKET"Celebration Ethiopia has a proud and long history extending all the way to the known beginnings of human kind. The Historic Route overland tour takes visitors from the current capital of Addis Ababa to the former capitals of the Gonderite and Axumite empires, as well as to the sacred city of Lalibela and the rock churches of Tigray. Our journey takes travelers some 2000 kilometers through the Ethiopian countryside, mountains and desert. Driving from site to site gives the traveler a chance to see the places in between, enjoy local culture and see the Ethiopia that exists outside of these incredible historic sites. From Addis Ababa, we journey north and visit a series of churches before arriving to Bahir Dar on Lake Tana. Our next stop is Gonder, where visitors walk through the great castles, royal bathes and churches built by the kings of Ethiopia over 400 years ago. The next day we drive the most scenic byway in Ethiopia around the Simien Mountains to Axum, the first capital and ancient entry point of Christianity to Ethiopia. Here, travelers will be stunned by the great stele left behind by this mysterious civilization. We continue the overland journey through the region of Tigray to Axum. Finally, travelers go back in time to the late middle ages of Lalibela, where a great religious civilization flourished and a pious king constructed more than a dozen churches hewn out of massive monolithic. In this Historical holy town you will attend the Ethiopian Epiphany in the historical town of Gondar. Timket is a religious festival celebrated with much zeal in Gondar, Addis Ababa and Lalibela in Ethiopia. The celebrations start from the eve of the festival which is on 18th January at 2 pm local time with traditional horns that herald the celebrations with colourful processions and ceremonies. The main ceremony commences with the priest solemnly carrying the Tabot which is a model of the Ark of the Covenant, reverently wrapped in rich silk cloth to the nearby stream at around 2am on 19th January. The Tabot is a representation of Jesus as the Messiah when he came to the Jordan River for baptism. The Holy Ark is immersed in the water by one priest whilst the other chants some prayers. The most relevant symbol of the festival is colorful embroidered umbrellas that protect the sacred Tabot and the priests carrying the Tabot. Once the Ark is baptised, the priest then blesses the water body and sprinkles some of the blessed water on the devotees. By noon on Timqat Day a large crowd has assembled at the ritual site, those who went home for a little sleep having returned, and the holy ark is escorted back to its church in colorful procession. The clergy, bearing robes and umbrellas of many hues, perform rollicking dances and songs; the elders march solemnly with their weapons, attended by middle-ages men singing a long-drawn, low-pitched haaa hooo; and the children run about with sticks and games. Dressed up in their finest, the women chatter excitedly on their one real day of freedom in the year. The young braves leap up and down in spirited dances, tirelessly repeating rhythmic songs. When the Holy Ark has been safely restored to its dwelling-place, everyone goes home for feasting.

Historic route and Timket Festival

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