Elena Vasquez
Spain
Every January, thousands of Ethiopian Orthodox pilgrims descend on Lalibela for Timkat. The processions, the sacred tabot, the blessing ceremony at dawn — it is unlike anything else on Earth.
“The procession moved past us at 3am. Ten thousand people. Complete silence except for the chanting.”
Timkat is the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of the Epiphany, and in Lalibela it is done at a scale and intensity that has to be seen to be believed. The town, normally a quiet cluster of stone buildings, swells with pilgrims in white. The festival of the who countryside becomes three days without the 21st century.
My flight landed at 11pm and the procession was already forming. For three hours I followed thousands of men in white shawls through unlit streets, the only light from the occasional torch, everyone moving toward the ancient cloister of Bet Giyorgis. The spectacle does not announce itself. It simply begins.
3am, ten thousand people, silence
The liturgical procession — carrying the tabot, the sacred replica of the Ark — is the heart of the festival. At 3am it moved past us in total silence but for the chanting and the stamping of feet. Ten thousand people. I forgot I was tired. I forgot everything except what was in front of me.
The following dawn, the priests bless the water of the stream below Bet Giyorgis. To step into that water on the morning of Timkat is considered the profoundest blessing.
Plan your trip around these dates
- Timkat falls on 19-20 January every year (Ethiopian Epiphany)
- Lalibela is the single best place in Africa to experience it
- Book flights and lodges months in advance — everyone knows
- Bring warm clothes: the nights are cold and the celebration is all-night
I booked the same trip for my parents immediately afterward. They called me from the procession — at 2am, thousands of miles away — and couldn't speak. I think, in the history of festivals, there is nothing quite like this one.
Before, During & After
Before
My flight landed at 11pm. I had four hours of sleep before the procession began.
During
I forgot I was tired. I forgot everything except what was in front of me.
After
I booked the same trip for my parents. They called me from the procession and couldn't speak.
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