Christmas celebration is based on country, culture, and tradition. Ethiopia is one of the few countries where Christmas is celebrated in accordance with the traditions of the first Christians. Orthodox Christians celebrate the feast of the Nativity of Christ.


Every year thousands of tourists come to see how Orthodox residents conduct holiday ceremonies in churches carved out of volcanic rock and in modern temples.

Many Ethiopians are Christians and in the Ethiopian calendar, the most important dates are, of course, the New Year, celebrated on September 11, Christmas on January 7, baptism on January 19, while the Feast of the Cross or Meskel takes place on September 27.

On the New Year holidays, Christmas is usually offered in northern Ethiopia, in Lalibela, a small town with a population of 30,000 people, where pilgrims and tourists from all over the world colorfully flocked.

A very beautiful service in the church begins on the evening of January 6 and ends at dawn on January 7. If one considers himself a believer, you can join the local people, who dress in white clothes, walk around the church three times, with candles in their hands, and then go to the priests for Holy Communion and blessing.

For Christmas, a traditional game resembling field hockey is held in Aksum, while a special coffee ceremony is held. Songs throughout the whole day and residents dance on the streets from dawn to dusk.

The people of Ethiopia have a special reverence for the temple. People begin to be baptized a few hundred meters before the temple, some crawling on their knees. “Ganna,” Ethiopian Christmas, begins with the fact that everyone who comes into the church is given out candles.

With a lit candle, a person bypasses the church three times and only then stands the liturgy. On the eve of the holiday, it begins in the evening and often lasts all night. Women and men in the temple pray separately. The women usually on the right side and the men on the left.

In the morning all the believers form a bright and elegant procession that goes to a nearby hill. The Divine Liturgy is served there, and then everyone eats one piece of the doro-wot from the hands of another believer.

Ethiopians bake injera, a huge cake made from yeast dough. It serves both as a plate and a napkin in order to take a piece of chicken. Also in many homes during Christmas, chicken in peanuts is served as a snack or hot dish. But Dors-Uot, a piece of stewed chicken with spices is served at a brotherly meal.

Christmas celebration in Ethiopia, indeed, puts one into the early Christian antiquity, revealing the Jewish tradition connection which is very strong in Ethiopia.

Source: https://juskosave..com/2018/12/christmas-celebration-in-ethiopia.html

Photo: Men activities during Christmas celebration in Ethiopia

The title oba entered the yoruba lexicon through benin ventures into Eastern yoruba during its expansion, and soon diffused into all yorubas

There is a parable in owo, that says, just as the oba n' idu commands respect on earth olodumare commands respect in heaven
Despite interaction with eastern Yoruba they made a sizable contact with vast yoruba tribe too

Benins supplied the atilaries used in the yoruba civil war of late 1800

If we are to mention benin influence on vast yoruba land it will too numerous to mention


The yorubas always have the claim oromiyan came to establish the obaship stool on benin but when taken a deeper look into this history shows that it was a political staged myth of late 1800 after the benin invasion by the British, oba eweka11 sought monarchial help from the then ooni to help strengthening the political power of the edo people who was emerging from a devastating war that burnt down the city capital
You know the rest
The benin monarch accepted to be one of oduduwa son, in the hierarchy it was ooni first and oba of benin second, at these time alafin was still having superiority battle against the ooni, later when awolowo elevated the stool, the alafin subcumed and decided to stay at second displacing the oba to third position

So their argument on the ownership of the word oba has been defeated

It was mere politcs even the yoruba unification was not historical and ife was never thier ancestral town ife was a religious town to the yorubas


The title oba has bern in the yoruba lexicon as far
As 16century when benin expanded into their territory that would be 6centuries now
Despite the long age it has been in Yoruba lexicon it remains foreign to them

Imagine benin supplying yoruba warriors fighting atilaries, controlling their lands, giving them kings, controlling their market, just imagine how the title oba would sound to them


When the oba of benin was being taken to calabar by the British they had to cover his face to avoid uprise from both benin areas and non edo territorie

Note
Not until 1930 the ooni of ife used the word oba officially to adress is title letting go of the British sir in replacement of oba

He made a mistake of not foreseeing the end of the false political unification of benin people under yoruba umbrella he only saw the advantage of the name it would bring to his stool

He never proclaimed other yoruba monarchs to follow suit but automatically the other yoruba bought into adding oba to thier title

Note

Ogie is a title for duke only the oba of benin bears the title oba of benin

The question every tribe should ask yoruba is why do they adopt the word oba as a generic term for kingship when already is known to adress a popular monarch

I guess the answer can also be found in my writeup

Picture of one of the ooni holding an edo ceremonial sword wanting to mimic the benin stool, but i guess he later droped it

I love the Ethiopians, their culture and traditions are unique