(21 Jan 2015) Timkat or the Epiphany is celebrated across Ethiopia, but nowhere in the country is it bigger than in historic Gondar.
Street parades, chanting, dancing and even a splash in icy water are among the highlights of this spectacular Orthodox Christian festival.

It's loud, it's colourful and it's a cultural spectacle like no other.
Once a year in Ethiopia, Orthodox Christians celebrate Timkat, otherwise known as the Epiphany, to symbolise the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan.
It's Ethiopia's most holy, and by far its most colourful, religious celebration. Nowhere else is Timkat celebrated more than in the northern city of Gondar.
Timkat celebrations begin as a colourful procession of Tabots; replicas of the Ark of the Covenant. Every year, eleven days after Ethiopian Christmas, the Tabots are carried through the town to The Bath of King Fasilidades.
The Ark of the Covenant is said to date back to the early days of Judaism. The gold covered sacred box is said to represent the coming of Jesus as the Messiah.
Ethiopians believe the real Ark is in Axum, another historically significant Ethiopian town, and in it lays the stones baring the Ten Commandments.
The Tabots are draped in fine cloth and carried on the heads of priests, accompanied by an entourage carrying parasols, crosses and frankincense.
It's a slow, noisy, colourful affair full of chanting, clapping, dancing and drumming.
Assistants lay lengths of carpet in front of the procession only to quickly return the carpet back to the front again once the parade passes.
Eight churches in Gondar take part in Timkat, each with their own Tabot. The various congregations meet in different parts of Gondar town until they all merge into one heaving mass of chanting and dancing.
"It's difficult to express my happiness. This is my first time in Gondar and it has been a dream come true. I've seen only ever Gondar in photographs pictures before so I'm really happy to see it in real life", says enthusiastic festivalgoer, Tsegaye Guta.
Worshippers wear traditional white, gauze-like cloth called Netela.
"This year Timkat is more special than in other years, because you can see the special way the young people dress and the atmosphere is colourful and amazing," says Fikirte, wearing a modern take on a traditional Ethiopian dress.
The two-kilometre procession from the centre of Gondar to the baths takes an entire afternoon. By that time thousands have joined in.
The baths are said to have been built by King Fasilidades in the 17th century when Gondar was the capital of Ethiopia.
The baths are only filled once a year for Timkat with water from the nearby river Qeha.
The eight priests with Tabots atop of their heads enter a small room above the water where they will spend the night in the UNESCO heritage site. Dedicated worshippers keep an all night vigil.
The action starts again early the next day when people gather before dawn to await the retelling of Jesus' baptism. After some waiting and more chanting, the priests bless the water by dipping crosses in the holy water.
Hundreds of mostly young, male worshippers crowd around the baths and climb the overhanging banyan trees, eager to jump into the holy water on the priest's signal. At least one couldn't hold on. He doesn't have the water to himself for long as the crowds dive in.
"Very nice, cold," shivers one swimmer.
Swimmers splash onlookers, providing them with a baptism by proxy. The crowd heaves and crushes under the weight of locals trying to get close to the action.
This year Timkat runs from 18th to 20th January 2015.


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