Celebration

We Ethiopians have our own calendar, so we celebrate Christmas on January 7th, not on December 25th. According to our official language, Amharic, we call Christmas "Ganna." Most Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate it by going to church. Here I will explain the celebration according to the religion I'm following.

Before Christmas, most people fast for 43 days. During these days people avoid eating foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy products. Basically, people eat a vegan meal. Fasting starts on November 25th. Before Christmas people spend most of the time going to church and praying. They also become charitable and feed those who are homeless.

For Christmas, people put on their traditional clothes which are white and the garment is called 'netela.’ It's a thin white cloth made of cotton and has colourful stripes across its end. On Christmas Eve, people go to church and the mass usually starts at 6 pm and ends at 3 am on Christmas day.

The Ethiopian Orthodox church that is built in the city has three circles. The choir sings from the outer circle. Everyone who is at the church is given a candle. Then the people start to walk around the church three times holding lighted candles in a solemn procession. Then they go to the second circle to stand during the service. Men and women sit separately. The central circle is the most important; it's where the priest serves the mass.

Around the time of Christmas teenage boys play a game that's a bit like hockey. The game itself is also called Ganna. It's played using a curved stick and a round wooden ball. People usually eat traditional Christmas food which is called 'wat,' a spicy stew that contains vegetables, meat, and eggs. Wat is usually eaten with 'injera' on a plate. Injera is a flatbread and people use it to take a scoop of the wat. In conclusion, Christmas is one of the main holidays that is celebrated in my home country.