ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia’s Orthodox Christians are marking Christmas with fervent prayers for peace in the Horn of Africa nation, which has been plagued by persistent conflict in recent years. Observing the Julian calendar, which lags 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar followed by Catholic and Protestant churches, Ethiopians traditionally commemorate the holiday by sacrificing animals and reuniting with family to break the fast post-midnight.
In his televised Christmas Eve address, the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Abune Mathias, issued a call for reconciliation and tranquility in a country where ethnic tensions have often fueled violence. Moreover, various regions of Ethiopia have recently grappled with natural disasters like mudslides, with earthquakes striking remote areas of Afar, Amhara, and Oromia last week, displacing thousands.
Despite a peace pact signed in 2022 to end armed conflict in the northern Tigray region, recurrent clashes in Amhara, Oromia, and elsewhere have wrought widespread misery, leading to the staggering statistic of 9 million children dropping out of school, as reported by UNICEF.
Almaz Zewdie, a participant in the Christmas ceremonies at Addis Ababa’s Medhanyalem Church, expressed her earnest prayers for peace. Draped in customary all-white attire signifying the conclusion of a 43-day period of fasting and the birth of Jesus Christ, Zewdie, a merchant from the tourist hub of Gondar, lamented the toll of the Amhara conflict, where government forces have been engaged in combat with a local militia, resulting in the loss of friends and livelihood.
Isaias Seyoum, a clergyman at Addis Ababa’s Selassie Church, underscored that the Christmas festivity transcends mere revelry, emphasizing the importance of sharing meals with the less fortunate and aiding those affected by conflict, a demographic that includes many seeking refuge in Addis Ababa.
