Ethiopian Orthodox Christians Around the World Celebrate Easter

Orthodox Christian pilgrims during a Easter procession at the Ethiopian monks' village in Jerusalem

By Africa News with AP

Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia have been celebrating Easter at churches across the country.

Home to the largest Orthodox population outside Europe, they fast for 55 days prior to Easter, abstaining from meat and animal products.

On the eve of what is the country’s most celebrated religious holiday, worshippers wearing traditional white clothing attend church services lasting into the early hours of the morning.

At Kidus Gebreil Church in the capital, Addis Ababa, priests, deacons, and worshippers marked the day together on Sunday.

"We are celebrating the date our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ rose from the dead. When we say this, we are witnessing the resurrection of Jesus Christ in this service and emphasising that just as He rose from death, we believers will also rise,” said the head of the church, Megabi Hadis Leake Mariam.

During the Easter period, family members and friends travel from faraway places to be with their loved ones.

While most Western churches observed Easter on 31 March, Eastern Orthodox churches follow the older Julian calendar, marking the holiday across the world on Sunday.