My colleague, Øystein, and I arrived in Addis Ababa yesterday without knowing it was on the Ethiopian Christmas eve. Today we have continued on to Gambela close to the border of South Sudan, but not before we were able to spend the morning at a Coptic church in Addis were people gathered to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. For our full report look up our Verdensglimt
In Flow with Otto 
You didn’t know that they celebrated on the 06th? It must have been quite a shock to find out this way 🙂
It was more fun than a shock. But since we had no idea, it was a very interesting surprise.
Je suis Charlie
Yes, I know. Just got the news today.
Cleraly a very proud man! Take care Otto!
Thank you Adrian. We will.
Love the picture. Jumps straight out of the screen.
Thank you, Jerry.
L’ho letto nell’altro Blog e mi è piaciuto molto, come mi sono piaciute le foto.
Ciao, Patrizia
Grazie, Patrizia, io sono contento che ti è piaciuto il post.
That is good to know that Christmas is not the same day everywhere. The story of “Never ever underestimate people” is very interesting. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, I am glad you liked the post.
I still treasure my time in Ethiopia. I learned so much in those 2.5 years, certainly the same lesson you did.
Ethiopia is a fantastic country, no?
Je suis Charlie aussi… I would be happy for this unexpected Christmas photo but France left me in shock today 😦
Yes, I know – and I am very sorry. I just learned about what happened.
Stunning shot Otto – faces that speak volumes
Thank you, Suzanne.
It looks like he is showing you his hidden treasure that he keeps close to his heart. There seems to be reverence in their eyes.
I think that is a good understanding of the him. Thanks for the comment, Michelle.
Such a lovely shot – muted colours and real meaning. Let us hope that these people and others are able to worship their own gods in peace. Je suis Charlie.
Yes, we are all. Thank you, Mary.
probably coz they use julian calendar? niiiiice pic, very interesting pair 🙂 oh and you forgot to critique my pic 🙂
Yes, the are using the Julian calender. Oh, you are right. I will get right back to it when I am back from Ethiopia. The reason I forgot was because the link wasn’t on the page…
Nous sommes Charlie tous. And all in the name of of a peace loving religion. Good photo and what a wonderful place to be.
Yes, we just learned about Charlie. Thanks for being one, too.
I enjoyed the full article very much. Although I knew about the Orthodox Christmas and its relationship to our celebration of the Epiphany, I didn’t know about their days of fasting before Christmas.
I have two pieces of Ethiopean embroidery: beautiful traditional crosses. They were done by a man who worked with a mirror, so that front and back are as close to identical as possible. They still grace my living room.
Given the horrors people of many faiths are facing around the world, it’s good to see evidence that peaceful celebration still is possible. Thank you for these lovely photos — and the amusing story of the photos that didn’t happen!
May celebrations like this bring people of all kinds closer to each other. Thanks for sharing your experience with Ethiopia, Linda.
Interesting Otto. I didn’t realize. Great picture, I love how it tells a story.
Thank you, Phillip.
Safe travels, take loads of pics 🙂
Thank you for the good thoughts, Patty.
such power expressions. Love the shot.
Thank you, Irfan.
The light, the composition, the expressions — just perfect!
Thank you for the lovely comment, Uday.
Such a nice surprise…and great capture ~
It was a nice surprise. Thank you, Randall.