PILGIRIMAGE
As an ancient kingdom, the land that we know today as Ethiopia is full of Temples, Churches, and Monasteries. The age old Christianity of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is integral to life in Ethiopia, The faithful attend mass worships regularly and observe more than 180 fasting day’s in a year. This devotion combined with the fact that many of the rituals are practiced as they would have been a thousand years ago make the worships and the celebrations of Ethiopian religious festivals very special to witness particularly, in ancient towns such as Axum, Lalibela and Gonder. Important festivals (Holidays) that attract pilgrims include such as Timket (epiphany), Lidet (Christmas), Meskel (The finding of the true cross), and fasilka (easter), Kullubi Gebriel, Gishen Mariam, and other festivals attract every year thousands of pilgrims and are celebrated colorfully and with great pump often over several days.
Religion is a constant and central feature in Ethiopian society. In earlier times, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, were three major religions that formed the culture. Today nearly half the population belongs to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Whose 4th century beginning’s came long before Europe accepted Christianity, some 35% of the population is Muslim, mostly Sunnis, members of the largest Islamic sect.
In Ethiopia Christians and Muslims live peacefully together. Despite the different religion people have developed they have a common Ethiopian character: All are welcoming, Kind, and Hospitable towards foreigners.
Major sites for visiting Muslim pilgrims
- Negash Mosque near Mekele
- Sheik Hussien and Sof Ommar around Bale.
- Above the old city of harar there are more than 90 mosques
- Gonder Lalibela Rock hewn Churches
- Axum St Mary church
- Mekele Wukro Churches carved out of rocks
- DebreLibanos Monastery Addis
- Bahirdar Monasteries of Lake Tana