Timket - description & video

Finally...here's some info about the Timket celebration we went to on January 18th, as well as some video.

Timket from jerry shannon on Vimeo.

Timket is a very colorful festival within the Ethiopian Orthodox Church which this year occured 12 days after Orthodox Christmas (next year it falls the day before Christmas). It is full of liturgy and colorful robes and bright tapestries. The reason for celebration is to commemorate Jesus' baptism. While many churches in the
West celebrate Epiphany, I had never experienced an Epiphany celebration like this!

All around the country there are large meeting places where people from a number of churches will gather to
celebrate. At Jan Meda (near Sidist Kilo) where we joined in the celebration, the members of about 10 churches gathered at the same place for the purpose of celebration. Our friend's estimate was that there were at least 100,000 people at Jan Meda. We think there were at least 200,000...either way, its a lot of people in the same field.

On Timket Eve (known as Ketera) the festival begins with a mass held at each of the local churches by the priest. Then the Tabot (a replica of the Ark of the Covenant) is carried on the head of one of the priests, covered by very colorful cloth. *A side note: each church has a replica of the Ark of the Covenant which are
kept in the Holy of Holies within the inner sanctum of the church. Because the priests are the only ones who can see the Ark uncovered and whom can enter the Holy of Holies, it brings huge celebration to Ethiopian
Orthodox members when The Ark is brought out.

The procession then starts to the gathering place through the streets. People dance and sing as the accompany the priests and the Ark. The Ark is also kept covered by a brightly-colored cloth-covered umbrella carried by another priest or deacon. It is a scene full of bright colored robes, bright umbrellas and an electric excitement. There is much singing, dancing and clapping...but perhaps the most spectacular scene is the drummers who lead the singing by playing a drum strapped around their necks with one hand on each end while spinning in circles.

Each of the processions will arrive at a different time at the gathering place, however most of the liturgy begins just prior to sunset. Most of the liturgy is conducted in Ge'ez which is a language dating back to the 4th Century. Unfortunately, the language of the mass is only really understood by the priests and other trained
religious people, since the only way to learn Ge'ez is through an apprenticeship with a priest over years of
training. The liturgy throughout the next 24 hours and the preaching will focus on Jesus' baptism, The Father's
voice of approval from heaven and The coming of The Holy Spirit upon Jesus. According to our one friend, the general feeling for many lay people is that in celebrating Timket they will experience God's blessing...so while they do not understand the words being said, there is a sense that God will bless them in the celebration. After leaving, the streets are filled with people dancing, singing and chanting - proclaiming that they are feeling blessed and that they are proud to be Orthodox. One of our friends said that these declarations have become more pronounced as Islam has begun to grow in influence within Ethiopia.

The liturgy is a mixture of prayers, songs, and chants. Much of it is choreographed in incorporating groups of
priests and deacons directing the music with their prayer sticks as well as the use of a metallic ratte-like
instrument named a sistrum. The chants and songs are based on a 5 note scale that traces the whole way back to Saint Yared who wrote Orthodox music using a notation that predates western musical notation in the 6th century.  The celebration of Timket is full of centuries old tradition with the hope of calling the church to remember,learn and participate in the significance of Jesus'baptism. 

There are liturgical elements which will last throughout the whole night, but the most anticipated event occurs
around midnight when a priest will sprinkle holy water throughout the crowd as a celebration of Jesus' baptism. Many have claimed to have been healed or experienced a sense of blessing when the holy water is spread. At some Timket celebrations, people will also enter a pool of blessed water for baptism or for healing.

Some of the faithful will stay for the whole festival (well over 24 hours) and then in the afternoon they accompany the Arks back to the local churches where they are from. Where we joined in the festival of Timket, there are also government officials who came to celebrate as well as Patriarch Abune Paulos (Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church). As you can imagine, this is a huge celebration, when you consider that approximately 40% of the population of Ethiopia is Orthodox and therefore it is a national holiday. In some ways the celebration appears to be a nationalistic celebration, too. There are Ethiopian flags and colors everywhere. It is uniquely Ethiopian.

We had the privilege of being able to have a front row seat with the Western press...so it was quite the
experience. If you're ever in Ethiopia during Timket, don't miss it. It is an important part of the culture.

I Love My Kids!

Went outside and found that the kids had used chalk to make an entire city covering our entire compound, and were having a blast wiht the Fisher Price Little People in their town.  There were houses, barns, roads, a gym, a church, fields...you name it.  They had fun for days in their city (until it got washed away).  Ahhh, a clean slate for yet another town to be born.

 

~c

Ethiopian Christmas

So, I'm a bit behind on blogging.  But Ethiopian Christmas was celebrated on January 7.  We had a wonderful day.  Tigist worked all week to prepare a traditional Ethiopian feast for us, and filled the house with flowers Christmas morning.
Our friend Mekebib came over,
and we all had lunch together.  Tigist had made doro wat (a spicy red wat with chicken and hard boiled eggs in it) and fit fit (a white wat with sheep meat and injera in it). 

 

After lunch, we had a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony complete with popcorn, kolo (roasted barley), and dabo kolo (little pieces of dough baked into crunchy bits).  It was a wonderful day of great Ethiopian food and great Ethiopian friends!

Meet Chesterton!

On Christmas morning, a cat showed up at our back door meowing like crazy.  Tigist gave the kids some injera to feed him, and he was quite happy to take it out of their hands.  Well, he has continued to show up, and from what we can gather, he belongs to the owner of the house.  He's a sweet guy, and waltzes into our house announcing his presence with his loud meows.  He never sticks around for long, but we enjoy seeing him. Of course, he needed a name, so Jerry named him "Chesterton", and it stuck.  Even Hanna can say "Chesterton" quite clearly.  Meet the newest member of our household.

~c

Welcome to Winter!

Everyone thinks it's fun to send us photos of the snow and cold from home, so I thought it would be fun to send you all some photos of what winter looks like in our compound. Wrap up in your boots and hats and scarfs and mitts, and enjoy!

 ~c

Timket Eve (Ketera) Photos 2010

Here are some photos from Timket (Epiphany) celebrations at Jan Meda near Sidist Kilo in Addis Ababa.  It is a huge, colorful celebration remembering Jesus' baptism.  A video and some color commentary to come in the days ahead.  These photos are from Timket Eve, otherwise known as Ketera.  Enjoy.

Haiti Through the Eyes of Another Third World Country

I don't understand Your ways,
Oh, but I will give You my song
Give You all of my praise.
                            -Rita Springer

I must say, as I came home from school to see Jerry and the kids watching images of Haiti on the tv on Wednesday, my heart was ripped and I found myself wanting to scream at God again.  Why?  Why the poorest of the poor?  Why such devistation to a people who already know such harships?!? Why is there no protection for the least?  Where is justice for the poor?!?

Viewing this catastrophe from my living room in the capital city of one of the poorest Third World countries in the world has given me new eyes to understand a bit of the enormity of these kinds of catastrophes.  First of all, there is such a lack of basic infastructure.  Construction methods would certainly be less than adequate if a quake hit.  Only the very main roads are paved here.  Everything else is one lane, insanely bumpy, big-rocks-and-dirt "roads".  How on earth would supplies be delivered?  How would help reach those beyond the main arteries?  The kids and I talked - where would help come from if something happened to Addis?  The country?  From those living in huts, susistance farming to eek out 1-2 tiny meals a day for their families, using donkeys and crude hand tools as their only "tools of the trade"?  There is no money, no technology, no modern anything outside of the city.  And what about the poor?  There are so many already living marginally on the streets or in shacks.  What about them?  And what about the impossible task of rebuilding?  I watch the main road in front of where we live being built every day by men with shovels throwing dirt into the back of dump trucks, or men with pick-axes digging up an area to be refinished.  I watch women carrying trays of cement up stick ramps to build huge skyscrapes made mostly of concrete - each load hand-carried, hand mixed, hand poured.  How on earth would a city like Addis rebuild?!?  How many decades would it take?

And I hear the estimated number of orphans left in Haiti, and I can barely stand the thought.

And I watch the news and see the first rescue teams landing, and where are they?  The UN, of course.  Not at an orphanage or a home for the destitute and dying.  Not in the tin shacks that I'm sure were overly abundant in Port-Au-Prince.  And I am SO angry.  I am very thankful for the life of the man they showed being rescued at the UN.  And yet, it makes me scepticle that the least will receive the aid they so desparately need.  And the injustice just infuriates me!

I don't know why I'm writing this to you.  Partly to keep from exploding, I think.  Partly to say if you can do anything, if you can influence anyone - do it.  If you can give anything, do.  Remember mercy.  Be part of justice for the poor.  I don't fully know who's reputable, but find someone. There are tons of great organizations out there - pick one.  Give and keep on giving.  Influence and keep on influencing.  This will be one very long haul.  And pray to the God of mercy and justice for these people, and for the world to act decently and share their great resources.

Heartbroken and desparate to see God's hand,
Christy

Paying Our Utility Bills - A new experience.

So, today I paid our utility bills. Well, most of them - the phone bill wasn't ready yet.

Paying bills here is a bit different than what we're used to, but overall is probably a more cost-effecient system than the way we pay them back in the US.

You know how the process usually goes...the utility company prints the bill, they mail the bill, the mail person delivers the bill, you let the bill sit around for a few weeks, you write a check for the bill (or pay it online), the mailperson delivers the bill with payment, the customer center processes the bill, your check gets processed, etc.

Its much different here. First, of all we don't receive bills. You just know to go to the office on the day that the bill is due. How do you know that? I'm still not sure, but what I can say is that when I went today the bill was ready to be paid.

So, here's the process...

1. I went to the Electric office and showed the guard my bill. He showed me the line to stand in outside the building. There were 6 lines and probably each line had 20 people in it.
2. The guard let 2 - 3 people from each line into the office at a time.
3. When it was my turn, I went up to the counter with my receipt from last month's bill and they told me how much I owed for this month's bill.
4. I paid them in cash for the amount due.
5. They marked my bill paid and then gave me a receipt which I'll bring back with me to pay next month's bill.

The whole process took about 45 minutes.

While I was there, I asked them where to pay my water bill. They told me that I could pay it in the office next door. So, I went and stood in the line next door for about 20 minutes. I was so relieved that the line was shorter than the electric line and was quite proud to hand the person behind the counter my receipt from last month. However, he informed me that I had come to the wrong office. This office was for the people who live in a town about 15 minutes away. The office I needed was a 5 minute walk down the street. Fortunately, I knew exactly where to go, so off I went to the Kebele office.

When I arrived there, I found a line of about 50 people waiting to pay their bill, just like me. So, I waited in line. I waited for 45 minutes and then needed to leave to get back to the house, without having paid my bill.

This afternoon I headed back to the office to pay our water bill. This time there were only about 15 people in line in front of me and within 20 minutes I was at the window ready to pay. However, I was told that I had the wrong window. I could pay my bill at that window on the 1st - 5th of the month, but had to pay my bill at the other window on the 6th - 25th of the month. However, the date was according to the Ethiopian calendar and not the European calendar. I can't even tell you what date it is on the Ethiopian calendar (my bad!)
Fortunately, there were only a couple of people in front of me in the other line, and someone took pity on this poor ferenj who had never done this before and who had no idea what day today was on the Ethiopian calendar.  He was super helpfu in making sure I got served.  Ethiopians are so kind in helping foreigners navigate their system!!

So, now the bills are paid, and it doesn't have to be done again for another 30 days!

I tried paying our phone bill - but will have to stop back on Thursday - apparently I was too early and the bill wasn't ready yet. I've never been early in trying to pay a bill before.

So, while paying bills here may not seem like the most effecient use of time...I do think it may be a very cost effective solution!

Note #1: After paying our bills I have been informed that there are bill collectors who for a commission would go pay our bills for us.
Note #2: In case you are wondering, today is 3rd day of the 5th month, 2002 here. I guess I did have the right window after all!

Joshua's Newspaper - 2nd Edition

Here's the 2nd edition of the Ethiopian Times Newspaper that Joshua has been working on.. Enjoy.
http://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0ByRBRQdrRr06MDM2NGE2ZGYtNGM5Yy00YTcyLThkOWQtNWNjM2Q4MWE3Y2Q5&hl=en

Reflections on Fasting

Today, I am fasting (yes, we are a day early, but Tigist has worked overtime to prepare a Christmas feast for us.  We couldn't tell her that we weren't going to eat!  So we fasted today).  I have not eaten since last night.  I am insanely hungry.  My eyes are droopy, my head has a dull pain, the pit in my stomach is huge, and I am grumpy.  It is now 3:10pm.  I have felt this way since 10:30am. 

Why am I fasting?  To pray for the people of Ethiopia facing famine.  People who would count themselves lucky to eat 1-2 meals a day - and a meal may consist of a handful of corn or a piece of bread.  People who never know when their next meal may come, unlike me who is assured a wonderful meal at 7:00pm tonight.  People who surround me daily and beg for my money, satisfied with a coin (centeim) that equals anywhere from 4 cents US to less than a penny.  People like Hanna's father and family.  And I am ripped to shreds.

Today, Tigist asked me how much a plane ticket to the US would cost for one man.  For simple math, I said $1,000 (which is quite low) or 12,000birr.  Micah said, "wow, that's 12,000 loaves of bread here."  And he's right.  What we throw around somewhat casually in the US is astronomical here.  I am stunned and dumbfounded.

As I walk the streets, I am constantly confronted with beggars - mothers with babies attached to their breasts, old men, people left crippled due to lack of medical aid, the blind, little children.  It's constant when you walk anywhere here.  I am often callous - not looking, not seeing, not wanting to see.  I get indignant, "Can't I just walk somewhere without being accosted for my money just because I am white?!?".  And they are persistent.  Pesky.  Down right annoying at times.  I give them a firm, borderline-harsh "no" and I avoid eye contact.  I wish they would just go away.

And yet, where do I want them to go?  What do I suggest they do to survive?

Sometimes when I walk the streets, I see them...REALLY see them.  It's hard to keep it together as I continue down the busy sidewalk.  My heart breaks and everything in me SCREAMS!!!! at the injustice.  I want to vomit.  I look the mother in the eye at 9 o’clock  at night, with 2 little bundles no bigger than Hanna curled up on the sidewalk beside her and a tinier one attached to her breast.  I can throw a few centeim at her - the customary thing to do, and often we do - but it doesn't stop that screaming ache.  I can pass a coin into the outstretched hand of the little child much smaller than Caia, but to what end?  In my soul, I beat my hands upon God's chest and scream, "Do you SEE this?!?  What on earth do you want me to do about it?!?!  What on earth are YOU doing about it??!?!?  What are REAL solutions?  Do solutions really exist?", all the while, trying to keep it together and herd my little brood through the crowded city streets.

And we're in the city.  The affluent capital city.  I see nothing of the subsistence farmers who labor and sweat with crude implements to try to yield a tiny crop...if the weather cooperates and the rains come at the right time.  I see nothing of the utterly malnourished, fighting-for-life little ones with their bloated bellies and lifeless eyes.  I see nothing of the wailing mothers burying their children due to the lack of food or a basic doctor.  I see nothing of the true effects of famine on a country.

And I ask, "Why me?"  Why am I so spoiled?  Why am I so rich?  Why am I so privileged?

Please pray for the people of Ethiopia tomorrow – Christmas Day.  Pray for God’s provision for the poor.  Pray for Christians who are willing to be used by Him to put in place real, long-term solutions for real people who are hopeless, destitute.  Pray for open ears and open and willing hearts in the body of Christ – especially the part that is SO well off when compared to the Third World’s standards – for people to each be willing to play their part for the cause of the poor.  Pray for the little boy with desperate eyes.  Pray for the mother with several little children to feed.  Pray for each one who doesn’t know when he will eat next.  Pray for God to open up the heavens on behalf of these beautiful people, and for His name to be glorified in the process.  And pray for God to show the Shannon family their part in providing hope to the poor.

~C

See the post a few posts down called "Praying for Ethiopia"

The Universal Language

So, what's it take to break into the neighborhood and get our kids engaged with other kids? Well, the universal language of soccer, of course. Kids from the neighborhood have been peeking under our gate for the past couple of weeks, trying to see what our kids have been up to. But, its been intimidating for our kids to just walk outside the gate and make friends with kids that speak a different language. When I walked home on Saturday evening there were 2 kids peeking under our gate, so I walked up to them and scared the daylights out of them...they wanted to run away. So, I pulled out one of my new, fresh off the shelf Amharic words and said, "Quas?" which means Ball and is a really lame way to ask if they'd like to play, but fortunately they said yes.

So, we had our first (of hopefully many) football tournaments on our rocky, stony road outside our house with about 10 neighborhood kids playing with our kids - yes even Hanna wanted in on the action!

What maybe was even more fun was seeing the looks on the faces of all the people walking up our road that night - doing double takes of this ferenj family outside of the compound playing football! It was great. Praise God for our kids and their courage in breaking the ice in our neighborhood. They came away pumped and saying how much fun they had. And, now every evening Joshua asks if he can go out and play with them. Now, that's awesome!

Please join us in praying for our neighborhood kids.