(7 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lalibela, Ethiopia – 7 January 2025
1. Various of church ceremony
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Samuel Choi, tourist from Hong Kong:
"You have such a wonderful, rich heritage. It’s very unique in the world. You know, there are no other places you can find that I am quite free, when I came and saw all these people all come in for one reason, to celebrate the birth of Jesus. And so I’m actually very thrilled and very happy to be able to be in Ethiopia.”
3. Various of church ceremony
4. SOUNDBITE (Amharic) Masresha Misgana, Ethiopian pilgrim:
"King Lalibela constructed these churches and heritage sites in the 12th century, creating the second Jerusalem in Africa. Each year, Christians come to visit this second Jerusalem to celebrate, and we also join in the festivities.”
5. SOUNDBITE (English) John Mike, Jamaican tourist:
"Some of the clothes and the instruments and the traditions are the same that they have been for many hundreds of years. So it’s very historical. Even this morning, when we were downstairs in the church and we look outside, we don’t know it’s 2025. It can be anytime from the last one thousand years. So Lalibela is a place where the ancient and the modern come together.”
6. Various of church ceremony
STORYLINE:
Ethiopian pilgrims and tourists celebrated Orthodox Christmas in one of the worlds oldest churches.
The country was one of the earliest nations to accept Christianity in the 4th century and the church of Lalibela, which was built as early as the 12th century out of solid rock, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This year, thousands attended a church ceremony marking the Ethiopian Christian Coptic Christmas.
The celebration known as ‘Lidet’ takes place over three days, culminating in Christmas Day, which is celebrated on the 7th of January.
"Some of the clothes and the instruments and the traditions are the same that they have been for many hundreds of years," said John Mike, a Jamaican tourist.
He added that the experience at Lalibela brings "the ancient and the modern" together.
Samuel Choi, tourist from Hong Kong, echoed similar sentiments saying that he is "very thrilled and very happy" to be part of the unique and historical festivities.
Ethiopians follow the Julian calendar, which runs 13 days later than the Gregorian calendar, used by Catholic and Protestant churches.
They traditionally celebrate by slaughtering animals and joining family members to break the fast after midnight.
According to UNICEF, conflicts in regions including Amhara and Oromia have caused widespread suffering and forced 9 million children to drop out of school.
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