Fasts – Page 10 – Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church Sunday School Department

The Feast of the Ark of the Covenant

November 29, 2016

Kassa Nigus

st.tsion.jpg

This is a feast colorfully celebrated every year on Hidar 21 (November 30) at every church dedicated to St. Mary. The day is observed with special fervor particularly in Axum Tsion where the Arc of the Covenant is housed safely. The occasion is attended by massive Christian pilgrimages from all over Ethiopia and also foreign visitors making it one of the most joyous annual pilgrimages in Axum, the sacred city of Ethiopians.

The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion claims to contain the original Ark of the Covenant.The Feast of the Ark of the Covenant (locally known as Tabote Tsion) is held in commemoration of different historical events including the coming of the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia and the construction of the first church dedicated to St. Mary in Axum.

The day also marks the destruction of Dagon by the power of the ark of God, as recorded in the Bible, and the return of the Arc to Israel after seven months of exile at the Dagon’s house in Philistine. (1 Samuel 4; 6)

The Origin of the Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant described as the original container for the Ten Commandments and the central symbol of God’s presence with the people of Israel. Its names convey the holy sense of God’s presence. The Hebrew word for ark means simply “box, chest, coffin,” as is indicated by its use for the coffin of Joseph (Genesis 50:26) and for the Temple collection box of King Joash (2 Kings 12:9-10).

The word “covenant” in the name defines the ark from its original purpose as a container for the stone tablets upon which the Ten Commandments (sometimes called the “testimony”) were inscribed. Sometimes it is identified with many names but most ornately known by “the Ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts Who is enthroned on the cherubim” (1 Samuel 4:4).

The origin of the Ark goes back to Moses at Sinai. It was planned during Moses’ first sojourn on Sinai and built after all the tabernacle specifications had been communicated and completed. (Holman Bible Dictionary 1991),

After the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, God gave them the tablet of the Ten Commandments (Tabote Tsion) through Mosses in the mount of Sanai so they use it as a sacred instrument to worship God. The Ark was carried by the Israelites during their 40 years of journey to the land of hope. Whenever they camped, the Ark was placed in a special and sacred tent called the Tabernacle.

The Captivity of the Ark of God and the Death of Eli

In the course of time, during the reign of Elli, unusual events took place among Palestinians and Israelites. The story recounted in the 1st Book of Samuel goes as follows. The old priest Eli had two children (Hophni and Phinehas) who were behaving wickedly, taking for themselves all the prime cuts of meat from sacrifices and committing adultery with women who served at the sanctuary`s entrance.

Eli was aware of their behavior but he rebuked them too lightly and was unable to make them give up their bad deeds. He used to tell them, “my children what I heard of you is wrong; if a man does wrong to a man to God is prayed for, but how could you do wrong to God?” but he refrained from punishing them because they were his sons.

Eli’s sons kept on doing sinful acts, and so, Samuel the Prophets was sent to Eli to tell him that he and his family will be punished for their wrongdoing: “God has sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever …In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house. When I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.” (1 Samuel 3:12-14)

As a result, the Philistines attacked Israel. “And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israelites; and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines, and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men eventually capturing the Ark of the Covenant from the Israelites and killing Eli’s sons, who accompanied the Ark to the battle as priests. (1 Samuel 4:2)

Israelites were always victorious in their battles whenever they had Tabote Tsion amidst them. But because God’s wrath was on them due to the sins of Eli’s sons, they lost the battle and many thousands died in the war filled. Tabote Tsion was captured in the battle and both of Eli’s sons were killed.

Eli, who was nearly blind, was unaware of the event until he asked about all the commotion. Sitting in a chair, he was told what had happened by a soldier who had fled the battle. The soldier said to Eli "I am one who has barely escaped from the war to tell you that the ark has been captured by our enemies and both of your sons died on the war"

Upon hearing the shocking news, Eli fell backwards out of his chair and died from a broken neck. He was a Judge of Israel for a total of 40 years, and died at the age of 98. His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the Ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead. She went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by labor pains. As she was dying, the women attending to her said "Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son." But she did not respond or pay any attention. She named the boy Ichabod, to mean The Glory has departed from Israel – because of the capture of the Ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.

After their victory at Ebenezer, the Philistines took Tabote Tsion to their country but misfortune fell on them. When in Ashdom, it was placed in the temple of Dagon under the idol. The next morning Dagon was found prostrate, bowing down before Tabote Tsion. They again restored the idol to its original place but yet again on the following morning Dagon was found broken into pieces.

The Philistines were also plagued by diseases and an outbreak of mice. They then sent Tabote Tsion to the land of Ashdon. But the same tragedy occurred among the people of Gath and Ekron to whom Tabote Tsion was moved. After the Ark had been among them for seven months, the Philistines, on the advice of their diviners, returned it to the Israelites, accompanying its return with an offering consisting of golden images of the tumors and mice with which they had been afflicted. The Ark was then set in the field of Joshua (1 Sam. 6:1-15).

Based on these miraculous events, the Ethiopian Church celebrates the feast of the Ark of the Covenant locally known as Tabote Tsion.

May the intercession and blessings of Saint Mary be up on us all!

Source:

• Holman Bible Dictionary, published by Broadman & Holman, 1991.

• "Sacred Sites of Ethiopia and the Arc of the Covenant". Sacredsites.com. Retrieved 2016-11-27.

The Fast of the Prophets (Tsome Nebiyat)

November 24, 2016

By Kassa Nigus

Based on Fetha Negest (Article 15, Number 565), the Fast of the Prophets (Tsome Nebiyat) is one of the seven official fasting seasons ordained in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church that starts on 15th Hedar (November 24) and ends on Christmas eve 28th of Tahsas (January 06). The Orthodox Church observes the Feast of the Nativity of Jesus Christ with 44 days of fast, which culminates in the feast.

It is called the Fast of the Prophets because the prophecy about the coming of Christ was fulfilled. Sometimes it is called Yelidet Tsome or Christmas Fast to commemorate the Birth of Christ.

Thanks to the grace bestowed upon them by the Lord, the Prophets foretold the coming of Christ, Salvation of mankind with His coming, the birth of Christ from the Virgin and yearned for the birth of Our Lord and they used different creatures to symbolize Christ. Nowadays, we fast it not by expecting the birth of Jesus Christ but to celebrate the gift we acquired consequent upon His Birth and to take part in the blessings of our forefathers, prophets and apostles.

The Church recognizes the necessity for her children to “chastise the body and bring it under subjection”, as St. Paul advises. The body is ever striving for mastery over the spirit. Besides the external sources of temptation, the world, we have always another source within us, which is a part of our nature. This is why mortification is necessary. Self-denial in lawful things enables us to turn with great earnestness to spiritual things.

It is on these grounds that the Ethiopian Church has strictly adhered to the injunctions of the Didascalia and practices faithfully the longest and most strict fasts in the world. More than 70 % of days of the year in the Ethiopian Church are strict fasting days for all members of the church above the age of 7.

Fasting is not only prayer and abstinence from eating meat, fat, eggs and dairy products. Nor is it just abstaining from eating for certain duration of time. When we fast we should also refrain from all wrongdoings, and evil deeds such as vanity, violence, jealousy, hatred, and all works of Satan. Rather, it is a time of deeper repentance and it should be done with the object of seeking to know God in a deeper prayer and experiencing spiritual contemplation.

We have to overcome our earthly desire and stay away from those who advise quoting, “… let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.” (1Cor 15:32) Because those who advise this push us away from the right path and separate us from God; they push us to sin and darkness, not to the light and righteousness. This is because from the very beginning man was created to live through the law, not through lawlessness.

Something that draws man to His Creator Jesus Christ is not food but fasting. We should rebuke our body by fasting and the like, show vigilance for prayer, perseverance in good deeds. More than ever, today we have to be obedient to God, to overcome the current tribulations in the world in general. We also need to pray for our private, public and Church problems to find solutions; for no earthly wisdom can solve these problems; except through fasting and prayer. We have to be persistent in our request and knock His door for Him to satisfy the good desires of our heart.

As the Word of God tells us, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” (Matt 13: 16-17), our forefathers and the prophets did not witness the coming of Jesus Christ, but we, the generation of the New Testament have seen our Lord through the eyes of the Apostles.

Therefore, we have to understand and then appreciate this great grace we received but the prophets had not the opportunity to do so. When we fast their fast, we give our witness that Jesus Christ is our foundation and we follow in the footsteps of the prophets and apostles. It is not enough to know and speak about fasting; we have to live it and benefit from the fruits it brings forth.

Show of charity is also a Christian duty. Alms giving to the poor and the needy, and bringing to the church what is required of us is necessary. Without these Christian duties, fasting could not be complete.

May God who has received the fast and prayer of the Prophets and Apostles, receive our prayers and devotion.

Let it will be His will to start this fast and reach the graceful day of His Birth!!

Source:

• Holy Bible: The King James Version (1769).

Edition: Mesfin Zegeye

Annual Feast of Archangel Saint Michael

November 21, 2015

By Kassa Nigus

Saint Michael is one of the seven primary Arch angels, who is always standing besides God’s throne and is honored for defeating Devil at God’s command (Rev.12:7-9). His powerful and fastest aid has always been invoked by the Church in time of emergency and unusual danger. He is the guardian of the souls and fighter against evil. He is often painted in the walls of every Ethiopian Church with a flaming sword and spear, which pierces the devil.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church celebrates the Feast of St. Michael on 12th day of each month of which two of them are great annual feasts of the saint – on Hidar 12 (November 21) and Senie 12 (June 19).

As such, this day (Hidar 12) in the Ethiopian Church is dedicated to “the Exodus of Israel from Egypt " through the help of the Arch angle Michael as stated in (Ex. 14:19)

“And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them”.

The Exodus is that the Israelites were delivered from bondage of slavery by the Lord God miraculously guiding by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night during their exodus from Egyptian bondage. This allowed them to travel by day and by night as God gave them the pillar of cloud by day to lead them in the way He wanted them to go and the pillar of fire by night to give light(Exodus 13:21–22).

Then, Israelites were delivered from bondage of slavery by the Lord God and therefore belong to him through the covenant as stated in (Deuteronomy 26:5-9) “the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage”. It tells of the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt following the death of Joseph, their departure under the leadership of Moses, the revelations at Sinai, and their wanderings in the wilderness up to the borders of the Promised Land, Canaan.

The history of Exodus trace back to Joseph. Joseph was sold by his jealous brothers to a caravan of Ishmaelite (Gen37:3). Then Joseph was taken to Egypt where he became a trusted slave in the house of Potiphar, an official of the Pharaoh, the second in his command.

In the course of time, a great famine occurred, so that persons from other countries came to Egypt to buy food, including Joseph’s brothers. Thus, under Joseph’s patronage Jacob moved into Egypt (Gen.46:1-47). Since then, the Israelites dwelt there and had grown to be a large people; the Egyptian Pharaoh of the time (who didn’t know Joseph ) feared their power. To control them he launched an official policy of oppression against them (Ex.1:22).

Thus, the Israelites lived in Egypt for 430 years under the ruthless oppression of Pharaohs’ reign (Exodus 12:40-41) as it was foretold to Abraham in a dream that his descendants would serve as slaves in a foreign land for 400 years (or 4 generations of priests (Genesis 15:12-16). It was recorded that the Israelites were forced to make mud bricks that were reinforced with straw.

Latter on God heard the lamentation of Israel and allow them to liberate. It surely was an awesome spectacle as thousands of Hebrews made their way from the land of Egypt toward the Red Sea, with Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit. When the Israelites reached at Red sea, Moses, at God’s command, stretched out his rod over the sea as stated in (Ex 14:16) “But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”

By an amazing miracle, the waters parted and the multitude crossed on dry ground. When the Egyptians attempted to follow the Israelites, they were drowned as the walls of waters rushed back into their bed. In commenting upon this event, Moses wrote: “Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.” (Ex. 14:30).

According to (Exodus 12:37 – 38), during their departure, the Israelites numbered about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children, plus many non-Israelites and livestock. Moses was 80 years old when he led the Israelites out of Egypt around 1446 B.C. (Holman Bible Dictionary, 1991, pp.451-7)

The exodus from Egypt was truly a landmark event in Old Testament history. It taught us much about God and his interest in humanity. As the Exodus in Old Testament was to Israel, the death and resurrection of Christ was to Christians of the New Testament. The significance of this event becomes more vivid when one compares it with a New Testament commentary regarding the incident.

St. Paul observes that the Hebrews “Brethren … all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:1-4); Rom. 6:3-4, 17; Gal. 3:27). Moreover, we have been learnt from Israel’s passage through the sea that “typifies our deliverance from the bondage of sin and of death through Christ by means of Christian baptism”.

Source:

• Holy Bible: The King James Version (1769).

• Holman Bible Dictionary, (1991, pp.451-7).

The Annual Feast of the Four Living Creatures (Cherubim)

November 16, 2017
Every year on Hidar 8 (November 17), the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewaido church celebrates the feast of the four beasts locally known as ‘Arba’ettu Ensisa’. Churches named after these heavenly creatures has been rarely built across the nation. They are four in number and take the form of a lion, an ox, a man and an eagle. They have six wings; are covered with eyes and continually praise God.

Acording to Ethiopian church tradition of iconography, the surroundings and inner door of sanctuaries ornamented by the icons of Cherubim along with the Images of Holy Trinity.

The Ethiopic Synaxarium records the description of the Four Living Creatures as follows:

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.

On this day is celebrated the festival of the Four Beasts, who have no bodies, and which are the Wheels of God that bear His Divine Throne. According to the testimony concerning them by John the evangelist in his vision says, “I saw a throne in heaven, and He Who sat thereon was brighter than the sun, and more brilliant then the lightning. And I saw in the midst four beasts, full of eyes; the first had the likeness of the face of a lion, the second had the likeness of the face of a bull, the third had the likeness of the face of a man, and the fourth had the likeness of the face of an eagle; and each of them had six wings. And they cried out by day and by night, saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, God of Hosts. All the heavens and the earth are filled with the holiness of Thy glory” (Rev. iv, 6).

And Isaiah the prophet also said, “I saw the Lord of Hosts sitting upon a high throne, and the whole place was filled with His glory. Seraphim and Cherubim surrounded Him, and His awe and majesty were exceedingly great. Each of these had six wings; with two of their wings they covered their faces, with two of their wings they covered their feet, and with two of their wings they did fly in the greatest glory by day and by night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts. All the heavens and the earth are filled with the holiness of Thy glory” (Isaiah vi, 2).

And David the prophet said, “He rode upon the Cherubim and did fly” (Psalm xviii, 10), and he also said, “He Who sitteth upon the Cherubim maketh the earth to quake,” And Ezekiel said concerning these wheels, “I saw a wind blow from heaven, and in it there was a cloud surrounded by fire, and brightness, and lightning, and four beasts supported Him. Each face (or person) had six wings, and they went before them. And the first beast had the likeness of the face of a man, and they ceased not to praise God by day and by night, and they said, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts, all the heavens and the earth are filled with the holiness of Thy glory” (Ezekiel I).

And John the evangelist said, “I heard a voice saying, Hallelujah! Salvation and power and blessing to our God. And the four beasts and the four and twenty elders of heaven worshipped God, saying, Hallelujah! God the Sustainer of the universe is King (Rev. xix, 4). After this I heard a voice saying, Praise our God with harp and psalms, Hallelujah! And I heard the voice of a multitude of peoples like unto the thunder, saying, God, the Sustainer of the universe, is King.” And many of the Books of the Old and the New Testaments testify concerning the honor of these Four Beasts which God hath set near Him to make supplication on behalf of all creation.

He with the man’s form maketh supplication on behalf of the children of men, he with the lion’s form maketh supplication on behalf of the beasts, he with the bull’s form maketh supplication on behalf of the cattle, and he with the eagle’s form maketh supplication on behalf of the birds. Now these beasts are very much nearer God than all the other powers of heaven.

For this reason the fathers of the Church have instituted the commemoration of the heavenly creatures, and have built churches in their name in every place because they make supplication for the race of man.

Salutation to the Four Beasts and to the horses of the Cherubim!

May the prayer of these heavenly creatures be with all us!!

Source: Ethiopic Synaxarium on Hidar 8 (November 17)

Feast of the Great Martyr Saint George

November 16, 2016

By Kassa Nigus

Saint George is one of the honored martyrs in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church, wherein he is referred to as the "Chief of Martyrs".

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church commemorates his feast on the 23th of every month. Furthermore, his major feast days per year are; his martyrdom on the 23rd of Mizia (May 1), the consecration of the first church dedicated to him on 7th of Hidar (November 16), and the scattering of his bon on Tir 18 (January 27). The other feast is the transferring of his relic on Nehasie16 (August 22) that overlaps with the feast of the Assumption of St Mary.

On November 16, the church commemorates the consecration of the first church dedicated to him, and the commemoration of the blossoming of the dry pillar of poor widow and blessings of her house.

According to the hagiography of St George, when the pagan torturers arrested him in the house of poor widow where he suffered six days of hunger, the martyr made the dry pillar of her house to take root and become a mighty tree, and filled her table with heavenly bread and all good things and healed her four year old disabled son whose father died while he was a four month fetus.

May the blessings of St George be up on our home as he filled the house of the poor widow in his abundant blessings!

Qusquam: Feast of the Holy Family

November 15, 2016

By Kassa Nigus

‘Qusquam’ is a place where the Holy family found refuge following their flight from those who seek to kill the baby Jesus and where the Angle Gabriel revealed to St. Joseph that king Herod has died.

Every year on Hidar 6 (Novembe 15), the Ethiopian Church commemorates the return of the Holy family to their home land, Israel and their relief from the menace of King Herod, following a period of 40 days of devotion and unique church services in memory of the hardship the Holy Family suffered during their flight. It also venerates the appearance of Christ and His disciples on Mount Qusquam for the consecration of its church.

Qusquam in Arabic is the name of village in Upper Egypt near the mountain up on which the monastery and church of Al- Muharraka are still standing. The monastery marks where the Holy Family is said to have dwelt during their exile in Egypt. The Homily of Theophilus compares the Holy Mountain in Egypt with the Holy mountain of Zion and Refers to Mary as ‘Mary of Zion’.

The Homily of Theophilus narrates the journey of the Holy family to Mount Qusquam and testify concerning this matter, “We might perchance find a good place wherein we might dwell and my darling Son pointed to a place with His finger and said ‘Let us go to this good place to dwell there in for it is a very fine place….and when we had sat down there, we found in it everything that women need for washing children, a washing basin, a water channel, a well of water. We sat down there for six months and behold, the announcement of the Angle Gabriel came to us and informed us of the destruction of Herod, and we returned to the land of Jerusalem.’”

Thus, Qusquam is a place where the Holy family has relieved from awful flight and where the announcement of the Angle Gabriel revealed to St Josef to inform the destruction of Herod.

According to the Gospel of Matthew, soon after the Magi left Bethlehem, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: Rise, take the Child and his Mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the Child to destroy him ( Mt 2:13). Our Lady’s joy at the visit of those distinguished men who had recognized her Son as the Messiah was instantly turned into sorrow and anguish. The cruelty of Palestine’s elderly king, ever fearful that someone might seize his throne, was well known.

Meanwhile, as we learn from several historical accounts, in the neighborhood of Bethlehem, infants two-years-old and under were being wrenched from their mothers’ arms and slain. The king had assassinated several of infants, as well as other persons he viewed as threats. The danger, then, was great. Thus the Magi, being warned in a dream not to return to Herod…departed to their own country by another way (Mt 2:12).

After their stay in Egypt, which lasted for about three-and-half years, moved through many towns in Upper and Lower Egypt, the Holy Family called divinely to return to their home land as stated in the Gospel of Matthew (2:19-23), when Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead." Then Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and went to the land of Israel.

Besides, during this season of flight, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church offers special hymns that recite in the Holy Mass and other services for instance:

• Mahilete Tsige (The Hymn of the Flower) and Seqoqawe Dingil (The Lamentation of the Virgin) along with the hymn of St. Yared (Digua). These strophes of hymns are composed in memory of the hardship of the Holy Family;

• Biblical verse such as “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” (Hosea 11:1)

• “The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.” Isa 19:1
• “… His ways are everlasting. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.” Hab.3: 6-7)1 – Cush is a Biblical name for Ethiopia as stated in the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions.

• “Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.” Psalm 84:3)

From the above verse of the prophet Isaiah, we can realize the coming of the Lord into Egypt that resulted in the destruction of the idols of Egypt. While the Prophet Habkuku tells us about the coming of the Lord into Ethiopia and based on that verse (Hab.3: 6-7), the Ethiopian church tradition elaborates that during their flight, the Holy Family came to the land of Ethiopia and visited many historical sites such as, monasteries of Aksum, Debre Damo, Waldibba, Tana, Debre Zemeda, Mehur Iyyesus Gedam and many other holy sites.

May the prayer and intercession of St. Mary be up on us all!

Source:

• Africa Zion: the Sacred Art of Ethiopia. (1993:73-4.)
• E. A. Wallis Budge, 201. Legends of Our Lady Mary the Perpetual Virgin and her Mother Hanna, (page 98-99).
• Synaxarium: The Book of the Saints of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (Translated by E. A. Wallis Budg__, page 122).
• መ/ር አፈወርቅ ተክሌ 2005 ዓ.ም መጽሐፈ ታሪክ ወግስ ፡ ገጽ 288 – 289. (Rev. Afewerk Tekle, (2005 Eth. Ca.) Metsihafe Tarik Wegiss, page 288-289).

Zemene Tsigie: the Season Dedicated to the Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt

October 13, 2016

Kassa Nigus

Zemene Tsigie meaning “the season of flower” is a season devoted to the Flight of the Holy Family into Egypt. The time ranges from Meskerem 26 – Hidar 5 E.C (October 6 –November 14 G.C). It is part of an autumn season that comes after the Ethiopian rainy season in which flowers and fruits appeared,…

a deep blue sky and clean air occur on earth as it is a time of the primary harvest season and abundant fruitfulness.

According to the Ethiopian church tradition, originally, the feast of the Holy Family has been observed from early times in the month of May but latter Ethiopian Church scholars instituted and shifted it to the season of autumn so as to remember and praise St Mary and her Son, Jesus Christ symbolizing by flower and fruit respectively as there is a strong tradition of personification of diverse features of nature in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church to illustrate Orthodox teachings and relates them to the lives and day to day activities of the faithful.

During this season of flight, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church offers special hymns, the so called Mahilete Tsige (The Hymn of the Flower) and Seqoqawe Dingil (The Lamentation of the Virgin) along with the hymn of St Yared (Digua). These strophes of hymns composed in memory of the hardship of the Holy Family comparing Jesus and His Mother Mary by fruit and flower accompanied with many historical and religious facts as the Prophet Isaiah has compared Jesus by fruit and His Mother Mary by flower as stated: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” (Isaiah 11:1).

The flight into Egypt has a biblical base as stated in the Gospel of Matthew: “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring you word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.” (Matthew 2:13-23). Joseph fled to Egypt with St. Mary and infant Son Jesus after a visit by Magi because they informed that King Herod intends to kill the infants of that area. When the Magi came in search of Jesus, they went to Herod the Great in Jerusalem and asked where to find the newborn "King of the Jews". Herod became paranoid that the child will threaten his throne, and sought to kill him (Matthew 2:1-8). Herod ordered the Massacre of the Innocents in hope of killing the child (Matthew 2:16-18). But an angel appeared to Joseph and told Joseph to take Jesus and his mother into Egypt (Matthew 2:13).

During this time, the Ethiopian faithful devotes in praying, fasting and other generous activities in memory of the flight of the Holy Family and their hardship in the wilderness of Egypt. The fasting is performed on one’s free will for it is out of the seven official fasting periods for abundant blessings one expects from God through the intercession of St. Mary.

On Sundays and other holidays, the clergy, often joined by a large number of people, gather the whole night for the divine office and sung up to the time of Mass. After the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, the believers especially in rural areas prepared a banquet (wine and food) in every Sundays of Zemene Tsigie in the name of St Mary and celebrate the season in such charitable activities.

May the intercession of Saint Mary be up on us all!

Festival in Memory of the Lodging of the True Cross and the Council of Nicea

October 4, 2016

By Kassa Nigus

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church celebrates yearly two special events on Meskerem 21st (October 1): the lodging of a piece of the "True Cross" in Gishen Debre Kerbe and the Council of Nicea which took place in 325 E.C.

Gishen Debre Kerbe is one of the ancient, most sacred monasteries in Ethiopia which popularly known as the second Jerusalem. It’s set at elevation of 3,019m above sea level in Ambasel woreda some 80km northwest of Dessie, Wollo and 480 km north of Addis Ababa. The cross-shaped mountain of Gishen is home to four churches: Gishen Maryam, St. Gabriel, St. Michael and Egziabher Ab (God the Father).

The Festival celebrated each year on Meskerem 21 (October 1) is for various reasons; according to manuscripts of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, it is the date whereby Emperor Zara Yaqob (1434–1468) brought a piece of the "True Cross" on which Jesus Christ was crucified to Gishen Amba and buried it under the church of Egziabher Ab (God the Father), where it remains to this day and, it is also the monthly commemoration date of Saint Mary. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church celebrates recurrently the discovery of the true cross on September 27th and the lodging of the piece of the True Cross at Gishen Debre Kerbe on October 1.

The second festival is in memory of the Council of Nicea. The First Council of Nicea was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in 325. This first ecumenical council was the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom.

Its main accomplishments were settlement of the Christological issue of the nature of the Son of God and His relationship to God the Father, the construction of the first part of the Creed of Nicaea, establishing uniform observance of the date of Easter, and establishment of early canon law. The Council of Nicea upheld the doctrine of Christ’s true Divinity, rejecting Arius’s heresy.

On the 1st day of October, thousands of pilgrims pay their annual pilgrimage to Gishen Debre Kerbe to celebrate these historical incidences.

Glory be to God!!

Demera: the Building of huge Bonfire

September 26, 2016

By Kassa Nigus

The term Demera is coined from Ge’ez verb to mean ‘unity, gathering…’ to describe the collection of woods to make bonfire. Community elders come to the arena, called Meskel Square holding of single woods to build Demera bonfire on the eve of Meskel (Finding of the True Cross).

However, through time the word ‘Demera’ broadened its meaning and acquired additional uses and today it represents every ritual performed on the eve of the anniversary of Meskel (Finding of the True Cross) across the nation known as ‘Demera’.

The day after Demera is Meskel, the festival of finding of the true cross on the 17 Meskerem in the Ethiopian calendar (September 27, Gregorian calendar, or on 28 September in leap years). The festival coincides with the mass blooming of Meskel daisies, which are symbolic of an ushering in of a New Year after the Ethiopian rainy season, 16 days after the Ethiopian New Year set in.

Some days before the holiday, shepherds of every household prepares banquette of flame (equal to the number of household members) from selected trees used to torch the Demera bonfire and distributes it to every members of the community.

Meskel is celebrated in memory of the finding of the true cross which honors the memory of the bonfire of the Queen Elleni and her discovery of the site of the Cross and the beginning of the excavation of the site around 330 AD.

During the eve of Meskel, every household in rural areas of the country, farmers, collect the newly matured crops such as sorghum and maize, from their fields and distribute it, first to their father confessor and then to neighbors; then, to people in need. As this is a harvest season in Ethiopian Calendar it becomes a colorful streak to the celebration. The eve is a joyful night where believers’ hearts becomes filled with brightness, happiness, generosity, love and reflect brotherly bond with one another.

The Miracle with the Icon of St Mary (Tsedenya)

September 21, 2016

On this day was revealed the miracle of our Lady Mary in the city of Tsedenya when oil dropped from the tablet with her portrait [painted] upon it as if it had been clothed with flesh. Now, it is said that Luke the evangelist painted this portrait.

And the cause of its coming to Sedenya was a certain widow whose name was Martha, and who turned her house into a habitation for pilgrims; and she loved our Lady Mary exceedingly, and ministered unto her with all her power.

One day there lodged with her a certain righteous monk whose name was Theodore, and she received him with joy. And on the following day when she was bidding him farewell, she said unto him, “Whither goes you, O father?” And he said unto her, “I go to worship in the Sanctuary in Jerusalem.” And she said unto him, “Take a little money from me to buy me a picture of our Lady Mary, and bring it to me when you returns to me”; and he said unto her, “I will buy [a picture] with my own money, and bring it to you.”

And when he had arrived in Jerusalem he knelt and prayed in the holy places, and he set out on his return journey without having bought the picture. And immediately he heard a voice, which said unto him, “Why has you forgotten to buy the picture?” And being troubled by the voice he turned back into the marketplace, and found a picture of our Lady Mary, which had sweet features and a beautiful form. Having bought it he wrapped it up in cotton and in fine linen. And as he was traveling along a terrible road in the desert thieves rose up against him, and when he was wishing to take to flight, a voice came forth from that picture which said, “Fear not: complete your journey”; and he went on his way and none challenged him.

Another time a savage lion rose up against him and wanted to rend him, and straightway an awful voice came forth from that picture and drove away the lion. And when Theodore saw all these signs and wonders, he wanted to carry that picture and drove away the lion. And when Theodore saw all these signs and wonders, he wanted to carry that picture to his own city, and he did not wish to give it to the widow. And as he was traveling by boat on another journey, the wind rose up against him and carried him towards Damascus. And having disembarked he went into the house of that widow with several other pilgrims, and he did not discover himself to her, and she did not know him.

And on the following day when he wished to go forth secretly and to depart to his city, the gates of the house failed to work and they remained jammed throughout the day; in the evening the monk returned to his abode, and when the widow saw him she wondered. And he continued to do this for three days, returning each evening; he saw the gate, but when he wished to go through it, he was unable to go on his way. Then the widow took him and said unto him, “O my father, what ailed you? Is your heart troubled that I see you thus disturbed?” And then he told her everything that had come upon him in the matter of the picture. And straightway she brought him into her house, and she opened the wrappings of the picture and found that drops of sweat were falling from it; and by reason of her joy she kissed the hands and feet of the monk.

Then she took the picture into her prayer-chamber, and laid it upon a stand in a recess with great honors. And she made for it a brass grating, so that no one could touch it, and she hung before it lamps which burned by day and by night, and outside these she hung silken curtains. Beneath the picture she set a marble bowl into which the drops of oil, which sweated out from it, might be collected. And that monk dwelt with the widow, and ministered to the picture of our Lady Mary until he died.

And when the archbishop of that city heard the report of the picture, he, and the bishops and the priests and all the people came [to the house], and when they looked at the tablet with the picture they found that it was in the condition of being covered with flesh; and they marveled at this divine work. And having emptied out the oil from the bowl, and divided it among them as a blessed thing, the bowl filled up [again] immediately. When they attempted to remove the picture to another spot a great earthquake took place, and many people died; and the picture remained there until this day.

The feast is one of the 33 feasts of Our Lady Saint Mary in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and is celebrated annually on September 22 by the name “Tsedenya” which was the place where the miracle of St Mary took place.
May her prayer and intercession be up on us!!

Source: Ethiopic Synaxarium on mskerem 10/September22.