Timkat

The feast of the Epiphany is a joyous time to be in Ethiopia. We spent both the Eve and the Day in Mekele -  not the usual tourist destinations of Gondar and Lalibela for this holiday, but a smaller town where we were among the few visible foreigners. Enough of a rarity that we were asked to be interviewed on TV.  That we were invited inside the  cordoned off area by the baptismal water, along with participants, priests and bishops. That people noticed us in the crowd and included us in the fun. 

I ventured into the crowds on my own and was greeted and welcomed countless times. People smiled, made small talk, encouraged me to take their pictures, drew me into dancing circles, got me to ululate, laughed with me at my efforts, shared mint stalks with me, instructed me on appropriate behaviour, asked to take selfies with me, walked beside me with their hands on my shoulder. I decided not to follow the tail of the procession today to its very end and sat on the curb, thinking other members of the tour would show up, and many said hello. One man stopped to be sure I was okay and invite me to coffee. I ended up walking back to the hotel on my own - well, not exactly. I pretty much had an escort the entire way. People walked with me a while, pointed me in the right direction, stopped me to say hello, and to appreciate my Ethiopian head covering. (I’d bought it in Addis.) Did I mention how warm Ethiopians are? As an outsider, I could not have asked for a better, more happily inclusive experience.