No tree, no presents, but a lot of community: In Ethiopia, people only wish each other a "Merry Christmas" in the New Year. According to the Orthodox Church calendar, the holiday is not celebrated until January 7th. Nobody expects presents. Not even the children. Instead, the focus is entirely on being together as a family. Above all, people make house calls to close and distant relatives all day long. And everywhere, politeness dictates that you share the meal.
Usually, people in Ethiopia only indulge in a little meat on special holidays. At Christmas, people like to serve Doro Wot, chicken in a very spicy sauce. Families that are a little better off also serve Kitfo, a kind of tartare, or Tibbs, which are bite-sized pieces of fried beef or goat meat. Even the poor families try to get a little meat from the local butchers.
The Orthodox Christians wear their Sunday best, made of hand-woven and undyed cotton. The "shemmas" are large scarves that are thrown around the shoulders like Roman togas. The believers go to church dressed in white, where the scent of incense and slender beeswax candles creates a real Christmas atmosphere.
