Easter(Ostern) in 🇪🇹 Äthiopien

Ethiopian Easter, called Fasika, is the most joyous day in the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar, concluding a rigorous 55-day fasting period known as Hudade, one of the longest Lenten fasts in Christendom. During this fast, observant Ethiopians abstain from all animal products, eating only vegan meals after midday.

On Easter eve, the faithful gather in churches draped in white, holding tall beeswax candles for a service that begins in the evening and continues through the night until around three in the morning. The chanting of the Debteras, the clergy, resonates through the ancient stone churches. At midnight, the priest announces the Resurrection, and the congregation erupts in ululation and song.

At dawn on Easter Sunday, families break their long fast with a magnificent feast. Doro wot, a rich chicken stew simmered with berbere spice and hard-boiled eggs, is the centerpiece, served atop injera, the spongy fermented flatbread. Kitfo, minced raw beef seasoned with mitmita and niter kibbeh, is another celebratory dish. Tella, a homemade honey-barley beer, and tej, honey wine, flow freely.

Everyone dresses in traditional white cotton garments called netela and gabi. Children go door to door singing Easter songs, and the celebration continues for several days with feasting, singing, and visiting relatives. In Lalibela, Fasika at the ancient rock-hewn churches draws thousands of pilgrims.

The most important Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after crucifixion, observed worldwide with sunrise services, egg hunts, and family gatherings.