Today is the Feast of the Epiphany in the Catholic Church (the feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ). At Mass this morning when they announced the feast, my mind flew back to a year ago when I was in Ethiopia. This day is THE major feast day of the year for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The members of the Orthodox Church all came out in white to take their "tabot" (replica of the Arc of the Covenant, think Old Testament) to a body of water so then they can all be baptized the next morning. In Wolisso (the town I lived in) we had 3 Orthodox Churches that all met. Three of the Italian volunteers and I went out to walk with the people. It was HUGE! Hundreds of people, prayers on loud speaker, choirs all singing, and the tabots beautifully protected with the customary...umbrellas (I forget their name). It was intimidating, especially with so obviously being outsiders, but I'm so glad we got to witness such a beautiful celebration.
Also on this day, it is a custom for Eastern Orthodox men to throw a lemon at a girl they think is cute (aka that they would potentially want to marry). Only one lemon per man (I asked). They try to hit her heart. If she likes him, she keeps it and then they start dating. However, for me, all I can imagine is a boy running up to a girl and spiking a giant lemon at her chest in dodge ball fashion. Either way, it's a cute way to let someone know you like them. ;)
Always have an open mind to witness/be a part of other people's customs and traditions.
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