Christmas in Ethiopia, like most Christian holidays, is celebrated in a unique way. January 7, Genna’s holiday (also known as Lidet or “birthday”), does not rank as prominently on the Ethiopian calendar as it does in other parts of the world. Easter (Fasika) reigns as the preeminent Christian holiday, but Genna remains an important religious and cultural event throughout the country.

The main ceremonial activities of the holiday center around local Ethiopian Orthodox churches (although Protestants and Catholics also celebrate), which hold nightly services on Christmas Eve lasting past midnight. Traditional liturgical singing marks these services, as does the singing performed by priests and deacons who wear colorful robes with gold and silver accents. Many people travel on foot from church to church, taking various services until the dawn light heralds the arrival of Christmas morning.

The first meal of Christmas is often an early breakfast, eaten by watery-eyed congregants after returning home. The light meal probably starts with juice made from flaxseed (to grease the intestines after 40 days of fasting) before moving on to the famous spicy chicken stew doro wot, and it certainly includes appropriately strong Ethiopian coffee to help usher in the new day. . Later, friends and family gather for a full Genna feast, usually involving a freshly slaughtered lamb for lamb tibs and traditional drinks like tej (honey wine). And although gifts do not feature prominently in Ethiopian Christmas tradition, shopping for new clothing for the occasion, especially for children, is considered an important part of the festivities.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of the Ethiopian Christmas tradition is that it is associated with a sport, also called Genna, which is played most widely during the Christmas season. According to Ethiopian legend, when the shepherds of the biblical Christmas story were informed of the Messiah’s birth, they expressed overwhelming joy at using their staff to enter a spontaneous game that resembles field hockey. Genna’s afternoon is filled with game matches, played mainly by young men, and potentially other sporting activities like horse racing.

Although Genna is observed by Christians in Ethiopia, the most famous Christmas celebrations are possibly held in the historic town of Lalibela. There, crowds of up to 100,000 pilgrims flock to watch immaculately dressed Orthodox clergy perform the woreb lining the rugged cornices surrounding the famous rock-cut churches, carved more than 800 years ago. Accompanied by a slow rhythm of traditional church drum construction, metallic sistrum, and applause from pilgrims, they lead the crowd in an intensely moving musical performance about the birth of Jesus Christ. Although its execution may seem different here than in other parts of the world, the approach to Ethiopian Christmas remains the same: celebrate the birth of a Savior who came to take away the sins of the world and bring peace to all mankind. 

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