Gena / Ethiopian Christmas/: January 7th
Starting two weeks ahead of Gena, numerous peoples from every corner of the country undertake the pilgrimage to Gondar and Lalibela to attend the ceremony and to get spiritual blessings. The number of foreign tourists is also unusually high at this time. Above all, what makes the Gena ceremony unique is the dancing priests, chanting the hymns of this holy day to commemorate the birth Day of Jesus Christ. The special hymn of the day is known as Beza Kullu (literally meaning The Redeemer of All). Dancers, systra in their hands, sing the hymns of the holiday, swaying all together from north to south to the rhythm of the big drums. The dance is said to symbolize the praise made by the angels and shepherds on the night of Christmas. The chanters above the courtyard represent the angels of the heaven and those at the bottom symbolize the shepherds of Bethlehem.