ESAT News (January 18, 2018)
Residents of several towns who came out to escort the Ark of the Covenant and celebrate the eve of the annual Epiphany have chanted anti-TPLF slogans calling for the removal of the regime.
Celebrations in Gondar. Photo/social media.
In Gondar, Woldia, Nekempte and Ambo protesters ignored the presence of snipers and denounced the regime.
Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of Epiphany (Timkat – the baptism of Jesus) is celebrated on January 19 or (20 on leap years), but on the eve (Ketera) the laity accompany the Ark of the Covenant to a nearby body of water where priests and the Holy Ark spent the night.
The eve of Epiphany celebrations in recent years have seen an unusual display of politics. Having settled the Holy Ark and the priests at the site of baptism, the laity on their way home denounce the regime and call for an end to its rule.