Or Happy Lidet!
Or Merry Genna!
Or Joyous Ganna
No matter what you call it, today is the Ethiopian Christmas Day.
I celebrated the day with other adoptive parents and members of the Calgary Ethiopian community last Saturday.
It was huge potluck dinner, with live music, a clown for the kids, lots of great food (Western & Ethiopian), the young Ethiopian kids sang some of their holiday songs (so cute!), and they played what I thought was good ole Canuck hockey after dinner. But Gina, you were right! There is a Ethio name for it: Genna. The holiday has also become known by this name.
A lot of the parents and kids wore traditional Ethiopian dress. When I travel, I hope I can purchase an outfit to wear to future events.
Here's some info I found on the date. As far as I know, it is not a statutory holiday as it is in the West.
source: http://www.tourismethiopia.org/pages/detail/detailfestival.asp
Christmas, called Lidet, is not the primary religious and secular festival that it has become in Western countries. Falling on 7 January, it is celebrated seriously by a church service that goes on throughout the night, with people moving from one church to another. Traditionally, young men played a game similar to hockey, called genna, on this day, and now Christmas has also come to be known by that name.
source: http://www.worldofchristmas.net/christmas-world/ethiopia.html
Ethiopian Christmas is known as Ganna (or Genna). It is celebrated on 7th of January. Christmas celebrations take place both in ancient churches carved from solid volcanic rock and modern churches designed in three concentric circles. Men and boys are made to sit separately from girls and women and the choir sings from the outside circle. Candles are given to people as they enter the church. They light the candles, then walk three times around the church and stand throughout the mass, which may take as long as three hours.
Traditional Christmas dish includes Injera, a sourdough pancake like bread, which serves as both plate and fork along with Doro Wat, a spicy chicken stew served in ornamented baskets. Giving gifts is not a big deal in Ethiopia and children usually receive clothes as presents. On Christmas Eve, people remain outdoors and pray and chant all night. In the morning, a colorful procession marches to the nearby hilltop headed by three young men with whips to keep everybody in line, where a service is held. After the prayers, priests bless the bread and wine and distribute it to everybody. People dance, play games and feast for the rest of the day.
