Cultural journeys
Walk beside the tabots to Jan Meda on the eve, then stand in the crowd at dawn as the blessed water falls.
Overview
On the eve of Timket, every church in Addis Ababa sends out its tabot, the holy tablet that makes it a church, shaded by velvet umbrellas. Priests, drumming deacons and thousands of people in white walk it to Jan Meda. At dawn the water is blessed and sprinkled over the crowd. For those it reaches, this is the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan made present, and a renewal of their own. UNESCO lists the festival as intangible cultural heritage.
In a country Christian since the 4th century, much of the city turns out. You walk with it, not behind a rope, with one start before dawn.
Itinerary
Your guide meets you at Bole International Airport on Sunday 17 January. Over a welcome coffee ceremony in the evening, we explain the tabot and why it is never shown, what to wear, and how to photograph a procession without stepping into it.
Morning: the National Museum’s human-origins gallery, with casts of Lucy (3.2 million years old) and Selam, the child found at Dikika (about 3.3 million years old), then Haile Selassie’s tomb at Holy Trinity Cathedral. In the afternoon a tabot leaves its church to drumming, and we walk with it to Jan Meda for evening prayers.
We leave in the dark to reach Jan Meda for the blessing of the water. When the priests sprinkle it over the crowd, expect singing, pressure from all sides and a good chance of getting wet. Later the tabot walks home through dancing streets, and we sit down to a festive lunch.
Some tabots, including those of churches dedicated to Saint Michael, go home a day later, so the singing returns to the streets for one more morning. We watch one if your flight allows, then take you to the airport.
Itineraries can change with weather, road and flight conditions. We will tell you promptly if they do.
Gallery
Photo: Unsplash
Good to know
Dress code: White or light clothing with shoulders and knees covered; we provide traditional white clothing for both festival days.
This tour follows the Strict policy. Days are whole calendar days before departure.
| When you cancel | What you get back |
|---|---|
| 30 or more days before departure | 50% refund |
| Fewer than 30 days before departure | No refund |
Questions
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