A Holy Day...

Yesterday was a huge holiday here. It is called Timkit. They are celebrating the baptism of Jesus. We went to this huge field which is one of the primary places of celebration. There were tons of people there.

The event actually lasts about 24 hours. On Tuesday they took all of the arks out of the churches and paraded them to the nearest water source. For some this is quite a journey. They camp there overnight and wait for the next morning. On Wednesday the priest blesses the water, be it a creek or a pond, or wherever they are. At this point people go crazy to get to the water. Their belief is that this cleanses them of their sins.

I'm not sure what the source was, but where we were they were using everyday water hoses. They were spraying them in the air onto people who wanted desperately to get hit by the water. It made me think of being a kid. We loved to play water games. We had a basic yard sprinkler that just went back and forth. But for hours we could play in the water. These men and women fought to get wet just as we fought to get near the water. But to them this is religious tradition.

There is such confusion. The patriarch (like the pope) of their church spoke. He was educated in the states and speaks pretty clear English. He shared that this event was not re-baptizing but educating the people on what happened to Jesus. It made since and makes the event look more profitable. The problem is I don't think any of the people believe as he claimed. To them this day is huge...on this day they are forgiven for a years worth of sins. The water blessed by the priest saves them...they've lost sight of the blood of the lamb.

It was a good celebration. Great time with friends. And a huge window into the religious culture here.