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Christianity's First Centuries in Africa |
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| Reflections
on Christianity: Two Perspectives on Ethiopia's Living Tradition By Alisa LaGamma; Chester Higgins, Jr., photographer |
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 figure 12  figure 13  figure 14  figure 15 |
Following Mesqal, Timqat is the high festival
of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s calendar, celebrated in mid-January
to mark the feast of the Epiphany and commemorate the baptism of
Christ in the Jordan. On the occasion of such church festivals, the
tabot is taken out, wrapped in brocade or velvet, “like the
mantle of Christ,” and
carried on the head of a priest in a procession that features an
array of processional crosses and ceremonial parasols. Parasols have
been an important item of regalia of leaders in sub-Saharan Africa,
including those of Ethiopia (Munro-Hay, Ethiopia, 50). The destination
of the procession on the eve of Timqat is a site near water. That
night the clergy pitch tents in which members of the church choirs
chant hymns all night long. The next morning the faithful and ecclesiastics
go to the water that is blessed. The blessed water is either scattered
over the faithful or they immerse themselves into it to commemorate
Christ’s
baptism (Munro-Hay, Ethiopia, 51). In Ethiopia’s highlands, the intensity of a society’s faith is powerfully reflected in the ambition to carve structures that reached the heavens as well as those that require the hollowing out of mountains. Those efforts translated into an inspired vernacular that eloquently interprets Christianity within an indigenous idiom. These monuments are one of the most dramatic artistic achievements on the African continent. It is critical to appreciate, however, that both Axum and the complex of Lalibela churches are not archaeological sites but remain active centers of worship. Not only do they attract visitors from across the globe, but Saint Mary of Zion is to this day Ethiopia’s primary cathedral, and Lalibela remains a revered pilgrimage site that all members of the Orthodox Church must visit at least once in their lifetime. As great and imaginative feats of engineering, the enduring legacy of Ethiopian cathedra cut from living rock rival on a more intimate scale the building of the pyramids. Works Cited www.chesterhiggins.com The British Museum. The Christian Orient. London, 1978. Garlake, Peter. Early Art and Architecture of Africa. Oxford, 2002. Gerster, Georg. Churches in Rock: Early Christian Art in Ethiopia. London, 1970. Heldman, Marlilyn. “Legends of Lalibela: The Development of an Ethiopian Pilgrimage Site.” Res 27 (spring 1995): pp. 25–38. Munro-Hay, Stuart. Ethiopia, The Unknown Land: A Cultural and Historical Guide. London, 2002. Munro-Hay, Stuart http://users.vnet.net/alight/aksum/mhak4.html Phillipson, David. “The Significance and Symbolism of Aksumite Stelae.” Cambridge Archaeological Journal 4, no. 2 (Oct. 1994): pp. 189–210. Phillipson, David ed. The Monuments of Aksum. Addis Ababa, 1997. |
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