Ethiopian Orthodox Church Fasika (Easter) Traditions

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides information about the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and also provides information about and seven videos of Fasika (Easter) traditions in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Churches in Ethiopia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.

The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHEDO CHURCH
These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Excerpt #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Orthodox_Tewahedo_Church
"The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ... is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Christian Churches. One of the few pre-colonial Christian Churches in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has a membership of between 45 and 50 million people,[1] the majority of whom live in Ethiopia.[2] It is a founding member of the World Council of Churches.[3] The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is in communion with the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria having gained autocephaly in 1959.

The Ethiopian Church was administratively part of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria from the first half of the 4th century until 1959, when it was granted its own Patriarch by the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa, Cyril VI.[citation needed] As one of the oldest Christian churches and a non-Chalcedonian Church, is not in communion with the Ethiopian Catholic Church, a Chalcedonian sui iuris Eastern particular Church within the Catholic Church. Ethiopia is the second country only after Armenia to have officially proclaimed Christianity as state religion (in 333 AD) though some argue it may even be the first.[4]

Tewahedo (Ge'ez ተዋሕዶ) is a Ge'ez word meaning "being made one". This word refers to the Oriental Orthodox belief in the one perfectly unified Nature of Christ; i.e., a complete union of the Divine and Human Natures into one nature is self-evident in order to accomplish the divine salvation of humankind, as opposed to the "two Natures of Christ" belief commonly held by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches."...

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Excerpt #2
From https://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=729144
dzheremi dzheremi, Nov 15, '12, "Re: Ethiopian Orthodox Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ('Tewahedo' is a word in the liturgical language of the Church, Ge'ez, meaning "being made one" or "united"; it is related, for instance, to the Arabic word 'tawhid', meaning 'monotheism') is one of the non-Chalcedonian or "Oriental Orthodox" churches. It is not in communion with Rome or the "Eastern Orthodox" churches, as they both accepted the Christological definition of the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD), while the Ethiopians and the other churches of the Oriental Orthodox communion (Coptic, Syriac, Malankara, Armenian, and Eritrean Orthodox Churches, plus the recently established British Orthodox Church and French Coptic Orthodox Church, both under the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate) did not."

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INFORMATION ABOUT EASTER IN ETHIOPIA
These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Excerpt #1:
From http://blog.africaimports.com/wordpress/2009/04/celebrating-easter-in-africa/
Celebrating Easter in Africa, Wayne; African Holidays; April 8, 2009
"In Ethiopia Easter is one of the most revered festivals, celebrated after 55 days of fasting. Followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church offer daily prayers at the church and do not eat until 3 PM, except Saturday and Sunday when prayers are conducted early in the morning.

Gifts are made for the children and most people are resplendent in their best clothes, usually the dazzling white traditional dress. Everyone spends Easter Eve at the Church praying until 3 am when it is announced that Christ has risen!"

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Excerpt #2
From http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1889922_1890008_1889929,00.html
Ethiopia's Belated Easter Celebration
"Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter anywhere from a week to two weeks after the western Church (sometimes, they occur at the same time, due to the vagaries of the Eastern Orthodox calendar, which Ethiopians follows). Fasika (Easter) follows eight weeks of fasting from meat and dairy. On Easter Eve, Ethiopian Christians participate in an hours-long church service that ends around 3 a.m., after which they break their fast and celebrate the risen Christ."

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Easter Celebration at Debre Tsion Ethiopian Orthodox Church.wmv



Natanim88, Uploaded on Apr 28, 2011

Tensaie Celebration at Debre Tsion Kidist Mariam London

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Example #2: Celebrating EASTER at Keranio Medhanialem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church



Tsehay Demeke, Published on Apr 19, 2012

Ethiopians Celebrating EASTER at Keranio Medhanialem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church in Nashville Tennessee USA

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Example #3: Ethiopian Easter Ceremony



syncronetix, Published on Apr 27, 2012

Ethiopian Orthodox Church Easter Ceremony in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, April 2012
-snip-
Here are two comments from this video's discussion thread:
Jonathan Rapoport, 2014
"What church is this?"

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Reply
Bdnsnsnsjj Hshsjsjsjjsjskk, 2017
"Ethiopian ortodx church Easter selebretion it is verey amazing"

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Example #4: NOW ETHIOPIA •†•†• TEWAHEDO FASIKA •†•†• easter ritual in Gondar



Vincent Moon, Published on Dec 11, 2012
-snip-
Here are three comments from this video's discussion thread:
Dar Shania, 2015
"what they are lighting for the lights festivals?"

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Reply
Merrie A, 2015
"This is how the Ethiopian Orthodox Church celebrates Easter."

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Teklemichael Worku, 2016
"such a celebration is the same in every church of ethio orthodox.betam des yilal"

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Example #5: Ethiopian Orthodox St. Mary Church 2005/2013 Hosanna by Zmt. Worknesh Hailu Winnipeg, Canada #3



solo212n Published on Apr 28, 2013

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Example #6: Easter Mezmur @ St Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Cathedral, Toronto (May 5, 2013) - 2



stmaryeotctoronto, Published on May 5, 2013

Easter Mezmur @ St Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Cathedral, Toronto (May 5, 2013)

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Example #7: ወምድርኒ ትገብር ፋሲካ (Wemdrni Tigebir Fasika) Tinsae 2006 at MTKT



MAR Prod. Published on Apr 25, 2014

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