This commemoration is very important for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church divinity. The Celebration takes place on Tir 10 in Ethiopian Calendar (on 19 January or on January 20 in Leap Year (in the Gregorian calendar). It’s a three days long celebration which is held by Christians all over the country.
Lalibela, Gondar and Addis Ababa being the most prominent cities, the most renowned place to celebrate Timket is a church in Gondar, Once King Fassiledes’s Castle transformed into a church. This sacred place is now the most symbolic of all churches in Ethiopia when it comes to the annual Timket ceremony. This is due to the fact that Gondar it is the only city to hold all the forty four Tabots or arks togather at this significant time.
The varied climate of Ethiopia influences the dressing styles of its people. In the highland regions, cooler temperatures necessitate heavier clothing like wraparound blankets. In the lowlands, light cotton outfits are worn by the people to combat the summer heat. Some similarities are, however, observed in the clothing style of Ethiopians. Their clothes are almost entirely made of woven cotton. Men wear cotton pants and a white-collared, knee-length shirt. The women usually wear long white dresses of ankle-length with some colors above the lower hem. The dresses are called habesha kemis. Jewelry is worn to complete the look. Women, both Muslim and Christian, usually cover their head with a piece of cloth called sash. It is tied to the neck. A shawl called netela is worn by both men and women. It is draped in different styles depending on the occasion. While these traditional dresses are worn in everyday lives by the Ethiopians in rural areas, those in the cities wear Western-style clothing on a day-to-day basis. Traditional clothing is adorned by them on special occasions.
The earliest Ethiopian literary works are in Geʿez and are mostly Christian religious writings. Between the 7th and 13th centuries, political instability in the region led to a suppression of the literary scene. In the 13th century, following the establishment of the Solomonid dynasty, the Geʿez literature was revived. The published works produced during this time also had religious themes. Between the 16th and the 18th centuries, Amharic written literature was also published in Ethiopia. Modern, contemporary literary works came to the scene from 19th century onwards. Christian paintings and stone reliefs are the earliest forms of Ethiopian art. Sculpting and wood carving are popular in the lowlands.
