Children tell us how they celebrate Christmas in Ethiopia
POSTED December 19, 2018
Children tell us how they celebrate Christmas in Ethiopia
Learning about Genna, celebrated January 7
By Semereta Sewasew, communications manager, Ethiopia
We caught up with children where we work in Ethiopia to learn how they experience Christmas, a holiday they call Genna and celebrate Jan. 7.
“On Christmas day, my mother and I wake up very early to go to church. We dress in our traditional clothes,” begins Samrawit (above), 7. “The evening before my mother also makes a wonderful Doro wot (chicken stew). She also bakes bread and makes coffee. [Then] all the children in our neighbourhood go outside, and we play games like hide-and-seek. I really enjoy Christmas.”
Senait, 14, has similar memories. “For Christmas, I make coffee for my grandfather. We also make bread and chicken stew (Doro wot),” she says, noting that she wears her traditional clothes.
Fun facts
Christians across Ethiopia celebrate Genna (known as Lidet or “birthday”) by attending a church service that lasts throughout the night, with parishioners moving from one church to another.
During celebrations, Ethiopians don a traditional shamma, a thin, white cotton wrap with brightly coloured stripes across the ends.
In the rural northern region of Ethiopia, men and boys play Genna, a game that’s similar to hockey, except it’s played with a round wooden ball and only at Christmas.
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