Timket—Humanity’s resplendent asset!  

 BY WORKU BELACHEW

Timket—the commemoration of Jesus’ baptism at River Jordan—is yet another intangible heritage which Ethiopia has preserved for millennia. The unique and colorful festivity which combines both religious and secular traditions deserves to be included among the representative list of cultural heritage of humanity.

The marvelous ritual and street festival which lasts two days (the eve-Ketera, and the holiday-Timkat), has been handed down over generations gluing the community, nurturing collective memory, promoting human creativity and contributing to the sustainable development of the country at large.   

Irrespective of differences in age, sex, culture and language, people escort the Tabots (Replica of the Arc of the Covenant) with great pomp from the respective parishes to riversides or large meadows where the festival takes place. Also, people of different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds get together and follow the liturgical services while other cultural and secular proceedings take place on the sideline.

Timket celebration has two important aspects. The grand one is the mass liturgical services which members of clergymen undertake starting from the eve of the festival until the event is wrapped up on the day of Timket with the sprinkling of sacred water up on the believers and taking the Tabots back to their respective parishes. 

The second one is the secular section which interested groups in small circles dances and chants. It allows participants to have the opportunity to exchange their culture while availing extra opportunity to tourists to observe and participate in the traditional dances and chants of the various peoples of the country. 

The Day is so unique in that even non-Christian people involve in the festivity’s secular facet. To the surprise of all, people who belong to a different faith cooperate with their Christian neighbors to see the celebration wrapped up peacefully. Any spectator can truly sense the peaceful co-existence among the peoples on this day.  

Though the celebration is part and parcel of epiphany which other Christian communities mark year in and year out, Timket in Ethiopia has been beyond compare both by the size of the congregation that partake in the event and by the liturgical, cultural and socio-economic undertakings carried out on the eve and during the holiday.

Without a shadow of doubt, the whole essence of Timkat will help in diversifying the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s prestigious list.

Since Ethiopia’s ratification of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006, only three years behind the adoption of the Convention, the country has got three of its intangible heritages inscribed in the world’s prestigious list. Meskel (the founding of the true cross) Fichee-Chambalaalla (New Year’s celebration among the Sidama people) and Geda System (an indigenous democratic socio-political system of the Oromo) have got their right places in the UNESCO’s intangible heritage list.

The inscription of these heritages has created great enthusiasm among the people of Ethiopia motivating them to further preserve and promote the world’s asset. Likewise, if Timket joins the representative list, it further fosters the preservation efforts of the intangible heritage and increases the festival’s contribution to the overall development of the country as well.

Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH), among other pertinent bodies, has endeavored remarkably in throwing light to the heritages of the country by including them in the national inventory system. Timkat is one among these. In addition, the stated bodies are exerting maximum efforts to illuminate the elements of the historic Timkat in order to be included in the UNESCO’s representative list.

Since last Ethiopian year, the Authority has been exerting efforts to prepare the nomination file for Timkat. Reports show that the Authority has been collecting inputs to select 10 photographs to be included in the Nomination List and to produce a 10-minute documentary footage. Tasks have continued to collect samples from places such as Wollo, Lalibela and Addis Ababa. The Authority plans to send the file to UNESCO within two months after in-depth consultations with relevant stakeholders.

ARCCH and other pertinent bodies ought to work their fingers to the bone to finalize the nomination file, and get it included in the list of world’s intangible heritages. 

The Authority has registered various heritages on the national heritage inventory. No doubt, most of them do not only belong to Ethiopia, they are also humanity’s asset. Thus, pertinent bodies, the media, and other stakeholders should maximize efforts to include them in the world’s heritage list.