Nothing will prepare you for your first Timkat. It’s a celebration like no other, and I’ve never seen so many people so unanimously happy. Before coming to Ethiopia, I had never heard of Timkat, but for Ethiopians, it’s one of the most important holidays of the year. It’s a 3 day celebration, sometimes even longer, and seriously one of the most unique experiences I’ve had to date. Here’s the scoop on Timkat and how to experience Timkat in Ethiopia!
What is Timkat
Timkat translates to “Epiphany”. It’s a holiday that takes place a couple weeks after Christmas, but is much bigger than Ethiopian Christmas. It lines up with the date that Jesus was said to be baptized in the Jordan River in the bible, and for this reason you’ll often find water incorporated into the holiday in one way or another.
Timkat is one of the hugest festivals in Ethiopia, maybe only rivaled by Easter. Although actual Timkat is one day a year, it’s a three day celebration at least. However, many areas will begin their festivities early and continue for up to a week.
When is it
The date of Timkat falls on the date of Jesus’ baptism. However, this date lines up with the Ethiopian calendar year, which has 13 months, among the other quirky and unique things about Ethiopia.
The actual date of Timkat is normally on the 19th of January, and on the 20th during Leap Year. However, the celebration can be a week long affair.
How to Experience it
I think it’s funny that there are tour packages and travel packages offering the Timkat experience, that are usually priced in the thousands. I traveled through Ethiopia for a month, and can tell you that is a massive waste of money.
Timkat, besides a small fee for entry into some of the parties, is free.
You don’t need to pay anything to attend, and a 4 star hotel in Ethiopia will hardly break the bank. You don’t need to spend a ton of money to experience Timkat.
It’s not hard at all to experience Timkat independently, if you just know the time and place, then plan accordingly. However, if you are older or just very well off and lazy, you can let someone do all of the legwork by booking a tour package like this one.
To experience Timkat independently, and how locals do, read on.
Where is it
Timkat takes place all over the country, but the biggest and most famous festival is in Gondar. However, there will be some degree of celebration in all the Christian parts of Ethiopia (which are the majority). Here are some of the best places to celebrate Timkat.
Gondar
This celebration is what I’d imagine to be the closest thing to Tomorrowland for Ethiopians. Except instead of us worshipping and praising Tiesto, we are celebrating baby Jesus.
The celebration here takes place at Fasilida’s Bath, which is an ancient ruin site of a royal bath. This place is normally visited as a historic site, and it is empty year round. However, for Timkat, they will fill up these ancient baths once more to prepare for Timkat.
Since they are celebrating the baptism of Jesus, water is a central theme in all Timkat celebrations around the country.
If you want to join the celebration in Timkat, you’ll need to book accomodation well in advanced. You’ll be fighting amongst Ethiopians from all over the country as well as foreigners who want to experience the biggest Timkat celebration.
If you make it, it will be three days of joy, culture and partying. You can gain a huge insight into the special ways Ethiopians practice Christianity, which are unique to other Christian countries around the world.
How to get there
You can fly directly from Addis Ababa, or take a bus. Keep in mind buses in Ethiopia aren’t that reliable or fast, so you’ll need to have a couple days to ensure you get there by Timkat.
Addis Ababa
If you can’t make it to Gondar, Addis Ababa is the second best option. As the capital city of Ethiopia, with the largest population, this will be a huge party as well.
The celebration here takes place in a huge field park, located a bit in the north of the city. There is no natural water source, so they will alternate by hosing you down with holy water instead.
I never thought I would say I was shot with holy water, from a priest on a stage in a field, but now I can say that I have.
How to get there
You can take a taxi there, but it’s honestly so crowded and congested by car and pedestrian traffic, we opted to walk from the city center. It took about an hour, and we were among many other locals so it was fun.
Lalibela
Home to the ancient rock hewn churches of Ethiopia, and known as the “cathedral” of all of Ethiopia. Lalibela is also a fantastic place to experience Timkat.
In Lalibela, it is said that one out of a thousand people in the population is are priests. It is a Christian epicenter of Ethiopia and if you are more interested in the religious aspect of Timkat, you should take part in the celebrations here.
During Timkat, Lalibela becomes a living cultural site. Here you can witness the processions and rituals, taking place right into these ancient rock hewn churches. It will also be hard to book accomodation here, as space in Lalibela is quite limited already. So, book well ahead to secure a hotel room.
How to get there
There are plenty of “tourist” buses from Addis Ababa headed towards Lalibela. However, the journey is long and despite them slapping the word tourist on their bus system, it’s not the most comfortable ride. If you aren’t on a budget, you can fly direct from Addis Ababa.
If you want to take the bus go here (Selam Bus) or call them on arrival in Ethiopia, to check scheduled departure times. You should book the buses 1 day in advanced normally, but for Timkat I think you may do well to book it even earlier, to secure a seat.
Axum
Another city with historic ties to religious activity, is Axum. Here, they also hold a huge Timkat celebration. Like Lalibela and Gondar, hotels will be booked out fast, so you need to plan ahead. I even heard from our local friend that some hotels set up tents to accommodate huge volumes of visitors!
How to get there
You can fly to Axum from Addis Ababa.
Mekelle
Another big city in Ethiopia that will have a huge Timkat celebration is Mekelle, in the north. If you plan to visit the Danakil Depression during your time in Ethiopia, which I strongly recommend that you do, this will be the nearest city to you for celebrating Timkat.
How to get there
It’s quite far from Addis Ababa, so you should probably just fly. If you want to take a bus, you can but it will likely be a very long and uncomfortable journey.
How to Prepare
If you choose to take part in these celebrations, it’s best to fully immerse yourself in the local customs and cultures.
Clothing
For us, we opted to buy new clothes. After 1 month of essenitally backpacking around Ethiopia, we had nothing suitable to wear.
Ethiopians will dress in fine clothing for the occasion, with most wearing white garments and dressed to the nines.
You can find many pop up shops that sell clothes to wear for Timkat. These are usual inexpensive (when converted into western currencies) and you’ll really look the part. Plus, they make a great souvenir once you leave Ethiopia.
For men, you can buy a nice white shirt, and for women a white blouse or dress, and a white headscarf would be perfect. However, there are lots of things to choose from. Shopping for Timkat was one of the most fun parts of preparing for it.
Fasting
It’s also traditional to fast before Timkat begins. While you don’t have to do this, if you are hanging out with locals just know that they don’t expect to eat on this day.
Experiencing Timkat: What to Expect
When it comes time to actually celebrate Timkat, you’ll need to know that the processions take place over several days.
However, something you can expect from everyday is singing, dancing in the streets, and an overwhelming sense of true joy from everyone around you.
Priests will be wearing colorful robes and holding ornate umbrellas as they walk through the processions.
It’s seriously a magical time of year, whether you are religious or not. This type of happiness is simply contagious and you’ll find yourself smiling all day.
Day One
The processions of Timkat, all revolve around the Ark of the Covenant. While the true Ark location, is said to reside in a church in Aksum, the priests will carry a replica for the Timkat festivals.
Inside the Ark of the Covanent, are replicas of the tabot. These are the stones which were said to have the ten commandments inscribed onto them, according to the bible.
On the first day, the Ark will be removed from the safety of the churches. The priest will carry it over it head, with a large following, and head towards a water source. This is a symbol of Jesus heading towards the river to be baptized.
There is a lot of singing and dancing, all while this is taking place, and overall a very lively atmosphere.
Day Two
On the second day, this is probably the most important day of Timkat. On this day, the priest will hold a special mass and bless the holy water.
The source of the water, will depend on where you are. It could be from a stream or spring nearby.
After the holy water is blessed, the priest will splash people in the crowd with the holy water. It’s a very exciting time, and people are all too happy to get wet with holy water.
In some cities, there are even swimming pools filled with blessed holy water.
In Gondar, the entire bath is considered blessed holy water, and visitors will happily bathe in it.
The second day is the biggest of the 3 day celebration, and there will be festivities from morning well into the evening.
At the days end, all but one of the tabots will be returned to the church.
Day Three
The third day of Timkat, is also known as the feast of St. Michael the Archangel. On this day, the last replica of the tabot will be returned to the church, in yet another long parade and procession process, with followers in tow.
This is the final official day of Timkat, and will be marked by feasting, and one last day of celebrating in the streets.
Other Tips
While Timkat is one of the happiest events I’ve experienced to date, there are still a few things to be cautious and wary of. These should not deter you from going, and it should be mentioned that I went and had almost no issues. However, some things to be aware of are:
Beware of Pickpocketing
Unfortunately, despite this being a holy celebration, there are still desperate and bad people in the world. The huge crowds and many distractions during Timkat make it too easy for pickpocketers to rob you.
Someone with me got his wallet stolen, and it happened so fast, it was long gone before he even realized anything had happened. Bring a secure bag for valuables, and bring as little valuable items as you can manage.
I traveled with my camera, but had a secure backpack for it at all times. Putting things in your pockets will make you an easy target.
Prepare for Large Crowds
I knew it would be crowded, but the level of crowdedness was still very offputting at times. We waited in massive unorganized queues to enter the park where the celebration was held on the first day.
It only became a huge problem when I really needed to use the bathroom, and could not even move in the crowd, let alone find one. Plan ahead to be stuck in crowds, and try not to lose your group among the mob.
Security
Depending on when you go to Timkat, know that you may face extreme security measures. Since there was some conflict with radical groups in Ethiopia during the time I visited, there was heavy security to enter the celebration, and I was searched multiple times. They almost didn’t let me in for having a camera.
Safety Issues
On top of this, the general public safety and infrastructure here is not 100% developed yet. The year I went to Timkat, a huge wooden structure collapsed during Timkat in Gondar, and crushed several people to death.
That happened at the largest Timkat celebration, and despite preparing heavily for it, the structural planning still failed to be totally safe to the public. Keep this in mind while there. If something looks unsafe to you, unfortunately you are probably right and should avoid it even if others aren’t.
And there you have it! Your complete guide on how to experience Timkat, a truly unique once in a lifetime experience. Have you been to Ethiopia? Whats your favorite place? Let me know below!
12 Unique Things to Experience in Ethiopia
Gondar, Addis Ababa, and Lalibela are all great alternatives, it sounds like. I have not been to Ethiopia but this is probably the time to go.