- Playing
- Timkat in Addis Ababa
- From
- Jessica Partnow
TImkat, or Epiphany, celebrations in Addis are huge - thousands of worshippers follow richly decorated replicas of the Ark of the Covenant through the city's streets and to the top of a hill, where after an all night vigil over the Arks, everyone is treated to a mass baptism by garden hose.
Piece is 02:11 plus 25 sec music tail at the end.
Host Lede is approx. 23 sec. Host Backannounce is 10 sec.
LEDE: According to Ethiopia?s unique calendar, the year 2000 started last September. Christmas was two weeks ago, on January 7th. This weekend, at the end of the twelve days of Christmas, the country?s 33 million Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrated Timkat, or Epiphany, a commemoration of the baptism of Christ. The Common Language Project?s Jessica Partnow brings us this report from the nation?s capitol, Addis Ababa.
BACKANNOUNCE: You can follow the Common Language Project as they report on water issues ? holy and otherwise ? from Ethiopia and Kenya in the coming months at CLPMag.org.
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Piece Description
TImkat, or Epiphany, celebrations in Addis are huge - thousands of worshippers follow richly decorated replicas of the Ark of the Covenant through the city's streets and to the top of a hill, where after an all night vigil over the Arks, everyone is treated to a mass baptism by garden hose. Piece is 02:11 plus 25 sec music tail at the end. Host Lede is approx. 23 sec. Host Backannounce is 10 sec. LEDE: According to Ethiopia?s unique calendar, the year 2000 started last September. Christmas was two weeks ago, on January 7th. This weekend, at the end of the twelve days of Christmas, the country?s 33 million Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrated Timkat, or Epiphany, a commemoration of the baptism of Christ. The Common Language Project?s Jessica Partnow brings us this report from the nation?s capitol, Addis Ababa. BACKANNOUNCE: You can follow the Common Language Project as they report on water issues ? holy and otherwise ? from Ethiopia and Kenya in the coming months at CLPMag.org.
Transcript
On the altar of every Ethiopian Orthodox church is an Ark of the Covenant, a representation of the tablets given to Moses at Mt. Sinai. Once a year, on Timkat, or Epiphany, the Ark is paraded out of every church in Ethiopia, followed by thousands of worshippers.
The procession starts with a choir of young people in long robes and bishop?s hats. Closer to the ark, people are carrying golden brocaded umbrellas. A small group at the center of the crowd are encased in what look like velvet telephone booths
Yeta: It?s supposed to be more than a million people to be here to celebrate this holiday.
We?ve reached Jan Meda, a huge field on top of a hill at the edge of the city. I?m talking with Yeta, a hotel manager who says Timkat is one of his favorite holidays.
Jessica: so everybody goes to their church, and they get the Ark of the Covenant
Yeta: Covenant and they accompany
J...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
LEDE: According to Ethiopia?s unique calendar, the year 2000 started last September. Christmas was two weeks ago, on January 7th. This weekend, at the end of the twelve days of Christmas, the country?s 33 million Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrated Timkat, or Epiphany, a commemoration of the baptism of Christ. The Common Language Project?s Jessica Partnow brings us this report from the nation?s capitol, Addis Ababa. (23 sec)
BACKANNOUNCE: You can follow the Common Language Project as they report on water issues ? holy and otherwise ? from Ethiopia and Kenya in the coming months at CLPMag.org. (10 sec.)
Piece: 2:11 with 25 sec musical tail at end.
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