Ethiopian Holidays and Food

FASTING

According to TEWAHEDO CHURCH fasting is abstinence from food to attain forgiveness of sins -- and the basis of the balance in Ethiopian diet. During Lent, meat, egg, butter, milk, and cheese are prohibited.

Seven Fasting Periods

1. All Wednesdays and Fridays, exept for the fifty days after Easter

2. Tsome Neviyat, or the Fast of the Prophets

3. Gahad of Christmas and Epiphany (The Vigils)

4. Neawe (the Ninevah fast of three days)

5. Abye Tsome (the great Lent fast of fifty-five days)

6. Tsome Hawariat (the Fast of the Apostles)

7. Tsome Filseta (Fast of the Assumption)

Calendar

Ethiopian New Year

The Ethiopian calendar is based on the Julian calendar, which is seven years behind the European or Gregorian calendar. The year starts on September 11 (September 12 in leap year) and it has 365 days (in leap year 366, of course); it has twelve months, thirty days each. There are five (6 in leap year) extra days palced at the end of the year (this 13th short month called Pagumen).

The Ethiopian day begins at dawn and not at midnight; one o'clock in Ethiopia is seven, midday is six, four in the afternoon is ten and so on.

The years vefore Chrust are called Amete Fida or Amete Kunene (the Years of Condemnation), the A.D. years -- Amete Segawe (the Years of Incarnation) or Amete Mehiret (the Years of Mercy).

Traditionally, the years are grouped in cycles of four, and each year has the name of one of the four Evangelists. The festival day of the New Year is Kidus Yohannes (Saint John the Baptist), because the last prophet was the bridge between the old and new. The national dress (shama) is recommended on this day.

wedding -- http://www.13suns.com/Sodo%20wedding.htm

http://www.ethiotreasures.plus.com/pages/marriage.htm