Simoon Blog

…It is great to be back in this country; this wonderful, mad, bonkers, brilliant country!

We are in Gondar at the moment and have had the first days’ celebration of Timkat otherwise known as Ethiopian Epiphany.  It has been an extraordinary experience– and, well, altogether quite wondrous really.  First stop in the morning was the Palace of King Fasilides.  It is like something out of a fairytale; an enclosure of a number of 16^th C palaces with huge banqueting halls, stables, lion cages, crenellated turrets and all set in lovely grounds with big African trees – jaracanda and juniper with birds cawing and buzzards circling above.  Yet unlike the Crusader castles which are so heavy, solemn, and precise in their architecture, the castle here has a dreamy quality. Fasilides founded the city of Gondar in 1636 and it became the capital of Ethiopia.  It sits at an elevation of about 2000m high surrounded by hills – no doubt one of the reasons why Fasilides chose to build his palace here.  We then went onto a beautiful church called Debre Birhan Selassie which was built in the 17^th C. There is a legend that says a swarm of bees protected the church from being burnt down by invaders during the 1800’s and a flaming apparition of St Michael stood with sword drawn at the gate.  For all this drama the church is actually quite simple on the outside, but it is the interior that is rather lovely with the walls painted with depictions of biblical scenes and the ceiling a sea of hundreds of angels’s faces.

Time for a coffee and we sat on a little bench and watched the woman preparing it from scratch.  Coffee is a big thing in Ethiopia and there is a traditional ceremony that is performed when making it, and not only for travellers as it is an integral part of their social and cultural life and a demonstration of Ethiopian hospitality.  On into town where the atmosphere was brewing and we could sense the excitement building around us as people honked horns and drove around in anticipation of Timkat starting…although what exactly this was all going to entail we weren’t quite sure.  We settled into a rather good lunch on a hotel balcony overlooking the main square.  Everyone tucked into the injera and wat – the traditional Ethiopian bread and stew.

The stews are all incredibly hot and spicy although they do have the ‘fasting’ meal and especially for Timkat which means no meat, so instead, a lot of lentil and spinach stews which are very good.  Down below in the square people were driving around blasting their horns and strutting about blowing into small trumpets dressed in their finery.  The women wore simple yet elegant white cotton dresses with matching shawls and weave their hair into elaborate braids.

They are simply some of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.  Smooth caramel skin, long gazelle like legs, high cheekbones, liquid brown eyes and white teeth – and the smiles!  You can’t help but stare, they are so utterly mesmerising.  And when they dance…but that’s another story.  So the noise gets louder from the streets below and we adjourn to the balcony edge and settle in for the afternoon.  The atmosphere builds; the people watching is great – small clusters of rag-tag children chanting and waving sticks in the air rushing around the square.  Donkeys cantering backwards and forwards; groups of monks in black robes blessing people… Beggars, lepers, tourists, babies, families, a man in a wheelchair being raced across the square backwards and forwards narrowly missing motorbikes, tuk-tuks, horses and carts, people everywhere.  It is hilarious and colourful and the crowds grow and then a band marches down a street and into the square led by a man in a smart navy uniform with white epaulettes and shiny silver buttons.   He expertly twirls his long silver cane and the three women behind him in fishnet tights, white boots and very short navy skirt uniforms twirl in unison.  The band pelts out a tune – it is vaguely recognisable and unlike the pomp of other brass bands this has a sassiness and a rhythm that makes you want to dance.  And suddenly a huge procession hoves into sight with a long corridor of beautiful horses decorated with garlands and being ridden by men in white with the colours of the Ethiopian flag in their hats and sashes.  Some of the horses rise up on their hind legs and behind them an incredible sea of people appear all dressed in white about five lines deep.  They clap and bow, sing and turn in unison, their voices rising and falling in waves.  Then hundreds of people dressed in green and yellow merge in blocks with the white and the crowds press around them.  The noise swells to a huge crescendo and we’re all transfixed.  From above a droning sound and a small plane swoops down really low  spilling grass and silvery paper from the open door that sparkle and flutter down onto us.  The crowd go into a complete frenzy clapping and cheering and then suddenly the ark of the covenant – or the replica, comes into sight raised up on a cart.  It stops in the square below us and a man climbs onto the cart and lights fireworks.  The plane swoops down again and the crowds sway and sing and all the priests behind the cart shuffle forwards walking on red carpet that is expertly rolled out in front of them by four enthusiastic carpet bearers and as they move forward, it is then rolled up and run around to the front of the group and unrolled in time for them to step onto it and move forward as the process is repeated again and again and again.  The priests are elaborately dressed in beautiful brocades and carry four of the replica arks on their heads’ whilst others carry glittery umbrellas to protect them and the arks.  The whole scene is kaleidoscopic in colour and sound and the atmosphere soars and lifts us all.  We descend and join the back of the procession as it continues its journey south through the main street and down towards the Pool of King Fasilides where it will stop and overnight before the ceremony continues tomorrow with the baptism.  The crowd is such fun to be in as everyone is happy and laughing, talking to us, singing and dancing as we are swept up and along with everyone.  It is so pure and unlike anything I have experienced before.  The energy and genuine joy, love and belief in their faith puts me to shame!  People tell me how proud they are of a tradition that is two thousand years old and continues to be such an important and momentous occasion in bringing everyone together.  We process for about two hours until we reach a huge outdoor arena where crowds are gathering, milling around laughing and talking, selling beer and biscuits. So, that was the first part of Timkat and we are rising at 5.30am to get down to Fasilides’ Pool early tomorrow to see the second day where the baptism takes place before the Arks are then processed back to the churches to stay for another year.  It has blown away any expectations I had – I knew it would be good… but it really is good.