Greetings in the name of His & Her Imperial Majesties Qedamawi Haile Sellassie I & Itege Menen Asfaw,
Ras Tafari Renaissance writes to give perspective to the Ethiopic Tewahido-Orthodox, celebration of Fasika. In other circles of the Liturgical adherents to the Ethiopian Tewahido-Orthodox Church, the name for this observance, can also be called Be’al Tinsa’e-በዓል ትንሣኤ. I refrain from using the Western Christendom adherances to the psuedo-equivalent, known as Easter; mainly because at the sheer core of the observance of Easter, stems from Greco-Roman Mythology(Eros, Easter Eggs, Easter Bunny, Greek Mythology etc.), and the origin of the celebration of Fasika, comes from the Hebraic, Passover(Pesach/PesaKH’-פֶּסַח) & Feast of Unleavened Bread (KH’ag/Chag Ha’Motz’ot-).
Fasika commemorates the Resurrection of CHRIST, though the exact day for celebration can be calculated from a perspective that is only slightly in contrast to the original calculation. Through and through, Fasika assuredly gives a better foundation in the surreal conclusion that is the life of CHRIST.
Fasika is an extremely climatic celebration, like the Roman Catholic Church fasting season(often called “Lent“), but predating it by hundreds of years, the Ethiopian Tewahido-Orthodox Church adherents go into a fasting, and prayer period consisting of about approx., 40-to-56 days. This important and soul-searching, period of time is known to the adherents as Hudade-ሑዳዴ, or Abiy’ Ts’ome-ዓቢይ ጾመ.
The Church, in her earliest days, recognized the necessity for her children to “chastise the body and bring it under subjection”, as St. Paul advises. The body is ever striving for mastery over the spirit; besides the external sources of temptation, “the world”, we have always another source with us which is a part of our nature. This is the reason for mortification. Self denial is in lawful things enables us to turn with great earnestness to spiritual things. It is on these grounds that the Ethiopian church has strictly adhered to the injunctions of the Didascalia and enjoyed upon the faithful, the longest and most austere fasts in the world. Fasting implies abstention from food and drink, in one sense of understanding. Special days are appointed for fasting.
Every Wednesday and Friday, are days of fasting because on Wednesday the Jews held a council in which they rejected and condemned our Lord (Jesus/Iyesus) and on Friday they crucified him; according the Christian theology.
The fasting of this particular, observance in the Tewahido Church – (Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church) are ordained by the Fät’há Nägäst – or plainly translated to English as the “Law of the Kings.”
During “Lent” (Hudade/Abiy Ts’om) in Ethiopia, Christians don’t eat or buy any animal products like meat, eggs, butter, milk, yogurt, cream and cheese.
On Palm Sunday, people wear head bands and rings made of palm leaves with crosses marked on them.
The first Easter Day (Fasika/Tinsa’e) service actually starts at 8.00pm on Easter Saturday night and lasts until 3.00 am on “Easter” Sunday (Resurrection Sunday) morning! Most people go to the whole service and wear their best clothes. These are often white and are called ‘YeAbesha Libs‘ in the modern time of today more originally “YeEtyopiayawiyan Libs“. People have candles made of cotton and wax called ‘twaf‘. At 10.00 pm drummers start playing and accompanying the Priests as they chant a prayer called the ‘Geez‘. (or the Ancient Ethiopic language)