Ethiopian Christmas (Genna)

Genna (also called Liddet) is the Ethiopian equivalent of Christmas, celebrated on the 7th of January every year. The actual Genna celebration is preceded by a night long Vigil following 40 days of fasting where meat, egg and dairy products are forbidden.

During Christmas Eve, there is a church service that runs through the night until 9am. The end of the mass service then heralds the beginning of the Genna celebration and the conclusion of the fasting period of Advent locally known as Tsome Gehad.

Doro Wote, a spicy chicken stew, is typically the first post-fasting meal.