The Oriental Orthodox Churches traditionally use the St. Demetrius Calendar composed in the 2nd Century, 200 years after Christ by St. Demetrius who was the 12th Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, born 127 AD.
Since then, both Egypt and Ethiopia along with the other three Oriental Orthodox Churches (Armenia, Syria, and India) continue in one Communion unseparated in the Holy Traditions of the Apostolic Church. So, it can be rightfully said according to history that Africa was celebrating the birth of Christ for fifteen hundred years, long before the Protestant Churches in Europe, USA and Canada.
The Ethiopian calendar is different from other calendars not only in the number of years, but also in many other ways. This includes observing Christmas, celebration of the New Year, division of the year into seasons and months, and the system of counting hours.
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The Ethiopian calendar starts its dating with the creation of the World in Genesis 1:1. It is formulated based on the beliefs that Christ was born 5,500 years after the creation of the World.
Today while the western Churches are feasting because they are celebrating their Christmas. We the Orthodox Christians are fasting for the next few weeks before we can feast on January 7 when we break the fast with the feast of Gena (Christmas).
This is one of the main differences between the Orthodox and the Catholics who are the mother of the Protestant Churches.
READ PART 1: Why the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church celebrates the Nativity of Jesus Christ on Jan. 7 instead of Dec. 25 as the Western World does — Pt. 1
The difference between December 25 and January 7 is a story that is well known to some: for hundreds of years western civilisation was using what they called the Julian calendar, but in the 16th century the Roman Catholic pope changed it for many complicated reasons. In 1582 people went to sleep on October 4 and woke up the next morning on October 15. The calendars have been drifting apart ever since and nowadays, the date of Christmas previously observed by everyone is different from the date observed by the western world and its Gregorian calendar.
Calendar differences aside, there are many who say that “Jesus was born in the spring” or “His birth happened in September”, and that the time that we celebrate Christmas now was imposed by the Roman Catholic church to take over a pagan festival at the same time. Whatever the Romans did or didn’t do, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church does her own calculations based on the Holy Bible.
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The date of the birth of Christ is calculated from the annunciation of the archangel St Gabriel to Mary the Holy Virgin on the 29th day of the Ethiopian month Megabit (7th April in the Gregorian calendar). Church tradition teaches that the Lord was in the womb of His Mother for 9 months and 5 days- it is important to know that in the Ethiopian system a month is 30 days exactly.
Counting from that day, we go through the months of Miyaziya, Ginbot, Senne, Hamle, Nehasse, Pagume (the 13th small month at the end of the Ethiopian year which lasts 5 days or 6 in a leap year), Meskerem, Tikimt, Hedar, and finally Tahisas. On the 29th of Tahisas (or 28th in a leap year) we celebrate the birth of our Lord, and at this moment in time, that corresponds to the 7th of January in the Gregorian calendar.
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Our calculation also takes into account the conception of St John the Baptist, as it is known that the Holy Virgin Mary visited St Elisabeth in the 6th month of her pregnancy with John, and we commemorate the birth of St John the Baptist on the 29th of the month Senne (July 8th). Counting 6 months from John’s birth to the birth of our Lord, we arrive at the same date (John also having been carried for this perfect period of 9 months and 5 days).
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The post Why the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church celebrates the Nativity of Jesus Christ on Jan. 7 instead of Dec. 25 as the Western World does — Pt. 2 appeared first on Antigua Breaking News.
