Holy water in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

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Holy water (Amharic: ፀበል) is a deeply rooted tenet in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, believed to be able to exorcise demons and cure sickness. The holy water can be poured onto people or consumed by drinking. Various monasteries are renowned for their holy water, where many Ethiopian Christians make pilgrimage to acquire the holy water. In addition, holy water is important at the Timkat (Epiphany) celebration, where priests set up holy water and bless it to baptize Christians for purposed of "purifying souls from sins".[1]

Timkat ceremony at Fasilides Bath, 2011

Purposes[edit]

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church considers holy water to be able to heal people from demons and illnesses. The water is also consumed to remove "harmful things inside stomach".[2][3] Studies show that the majority of Ethiopians prefer traditional healing, such as holy water, to biomedical services for major illness - particularly for mental illness.[4] 98% of first encounters for mental health issues are traditional healing methods using holy water.[5] Holy water is also associated with healing HIV AIDS; in particular by using antiretroviral therapy (ART) together with holy water, remaining controversial among research participants.[6] Many people go to holy water sites for treatment (such as monasteries) with some sites receiving up to 5,000 pilgrims daily. The process of using holy water include using it in prayer, consumption and bathing.[7][8] Visitors often fill their bottle or jerrycans with holy water to consume at home.[9][10][11] In Lalibela, the use of traditional healing methods is common.[12] An estimated 5,000 people moved to Entoto Church where holy water also existed and majority engulfed to renowned Tsadkane Mariam Monastery.[13][8][14]

In celebration[edit]

Holy water is often used in public holidays such as Timkat (Epiphany), in which Christians gather around a small water pool set by priests during Ketera (the eve of Timkat).[15][16] After priests and deacons pray over and bless the holy water, the water is sprayed onto the people "for the purity of their souls from the sins committed". Most of these events took place at Jan Meda Square.[1] In Gondar, the Fasilides Bath represents Jordan River. At the eve, local people flock the city into the bath with eight of forty-four tabots arrived in all directions.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Fortune, Addis (25 January 2015). "Holy Water Shower". addisfortune.net. Archived from the original on 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  2. ^ "Church endorses 'holy water' and ARVs as people flock to miracle mountain". The New Humanitarian. 2007-05-25. Archived from the original on 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  3. ^ "HIV Prevention and Counseling at Holy Water Sites in Ethiopia". globalhealth.washington.edu. 2015-09-28. Archived from the original on 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  4. ^ Tadesse, Zelalem (14 July 2022). The Practice of Holy Water Therapy for Mental Disorders (Thesis). Addis Ababa University. Archived from the original on 16 September 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  5. ^ Baheretibeb, Yonas; Wondimagegn, Dawit; Law, Samuel (2021-05-05). "Holy water and biomedicine: a descriptive study of active collaboration between religious traditional healers and biomedical psychiatry in Ethiopia". BJPsych Open. 7 (3): e92. doi:10.1192/bjo.2021.56. ISSN 2056-4724. PMC 8142542. PMID 33947496.
  6. ^ Berhanu, Zena (2010-08-31). "Holy Water as an Intervention for HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia". Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services. 9 (3): 240–260. doi:10.1080/15381501.2010.502802. ISSN 1538-1501. S2CID 71081016.
  7. ^ "Holy water in Ethiopia". 14 July 2022. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.966.8407.
  8. ^ a b itechadmin (2014-09-08). "Stories of Success from Ethiopia: The Tsadkane Holy Water Well". I-TECH. Archived from the original on 2021-11-19. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  9. ^ "Thousands of Ethiopian pilgrims flocking to religious sites". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 2020-11-22. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  10. ^ Drum: A Magazine of Africa for Africa. African Drum Publications. 1999. Archived from the original on 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  11. ^ Hannig, Anita (2013). "The Pure and the Pious: Corporeality, Flow, and Transgression in Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity". Journal of Religion in Africa. 43 (3): 297–328. doi:10.1163/15700666-12341254. ISSN 0022-4200. Archived from the original on 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  12. ^ "Faith as a Means of Healing: Traditional Medicine and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church In and Around Lalibela". 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  13. ^ "'Holy water cures even HIV' - ICIJ". 2006-11-30. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  14. ^ "Journey to Entoto Mariam Church | Global Impressions". 8 March 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-06-10. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  15. ^ Fuller, Linda K. (2004). National Days/national Ways: Historical, Political, and Religious Celebrations Around the World. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-97270-7. Archived from the original on 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  16. ^ Bierbaum, Bernd (2011). In Ethiopia. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3-8448-5884-6. Archived from the original on 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  17. ^ Hoh, Anchi (2022-01-19). "Epiphany and Timkat in Ethiopia: The City of Gondar Hosts Annual Epiphany Celebrations | 4 Corners of the World: International Collections and Studies at the Library of Congress". blogs.loc.gov. Archived from the original on 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
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