Timkat

Timkat (ጥምቀት), meaning "Baptism", is the celebration of the Theophany in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It commemorates the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. Timket is celebrated on the 10th day of the month of Terr (Ethiopian calendar), corresponding to 19 January in the Gregorian calendar (6 January in the Julian calendar).

The festival of Timkat is known for its ritual reenactment of baptism and the blessing of waters. During the ceremonies, the Tabot, a model of the Ark of the Covenant, which is present on every Ethiopian Orthodox altar, is reverently wrapped and taken in procession on the head of the priest. The Tabot represents the manifestation of Jesus as the Messiah when He came to the Jordan for baptism. The Divine Liturgy is celebrated near a stream or body of water; the water is then blessed towards dawn (East) and sprinkled on the participants.

Pictured here is an Ethiopian Orthodox icon of the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan when the Father's voice was heard and the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, manifested the mystery of the Trinity. Also pictured are the clergy carrying the Tabots in a solemn procession; the cross-shaped font is filled with water to be blessed.