H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I is the Defender of the Ancient Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Faith.  The Tewahido faith is known as the Mother of Christianity and predates the Vatican and Greco-Roman religions. In this video H.I.M. can be seen with the Royal family celebrating Fasika/The Resurrection of Christ at The Church of the Holy Trinity in Addis Ababa.  We do not call this day Easter as the western religions because the word Easter is a pagan term.

The 225th Emperor of Ethiopia, a direct descendant of King David, Solomon and Queen Sheba is also of the messianic lineage of Iyesus Christ.  He is the King of Kings, The Lion of Judah over all of Africa and the King to ALL People of Color around the world.  He was born Ras Teferi Makonnen and was baptized and given the Holy name, Haile Selassie which means the Power or Might of the Holy Trinity.

Abune Theopholus, Archibishop of Harar officiates the holy services.  Here you can see the Imperial family look on as the archbishp consecrates the holy water by touching it with is meskel/cross.  The Emperor gets his feet washed and those of the crown prince, a reminder of the washing of the feet of the Apostles by Our Lord, Christ.

ETHIOPIA •†•†• TEWAHIDO FASIKA •†•†•

Fasika (Ge’ez: ፋሲካ, sometimes transcribed as Fasica; from Greek Pascha) is the Ge’ez, Amharic,and Tigrinya word for Easter, also called Tensae (Ge’ez: ትንሣኤ, “to rise”).

In Ethiopia, the main and longstanding religion has been the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church since the times of Frumentius. Ethiopian Easter, or Fasika, takes place in Orthodox Churches throughout the country, and follows the eastern method of calculating Easter, thus tending to fall after Easter in the Western calendar (some years both fall on the same date). Fasika is a much more important festival than Christmas, since the Death and Resurrection of Iyesus Christ is more significant in Orthodox theology than his birth. Iyesus’ crucifixion which led to his death on a Friday, according to Orthodox faitht was for the purpose of fulfilling the word of God, and led to the conquest of death and Iyesus’ resurrection from the tomb after three days, the third day being the Sunday when Ethiopian Easter is celebrated.

Fasika is a climactic celebration. Fasting becomes more intense over the 56-day period of Lent, when no meat or animal products of any kind, including milk and butter, are eaten. Good Friday starts off by church going, and is a day of preparation for the breaking of this long fasting period.

The faithful prostrate themselves in church, bowing down and rising up until they get tired. The main religious service takes place with the Paschal Vigil on Saturday night. It is a somber, sacred occasion with music and dancing until the early hours of the morning. At 3:00 a.m. everyone returns home to break their fast, and a chicken is slaughtered at midnight for the symbolic occasion. In the morning, after a rest, a sheep is slaughtered to start the feasting on Easter Sunday.

In Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Christianity or the Tewahido faith, it is believed the near-sacrifice of Abraham’s loved son Isaac (Genesis 22), which was a test of faith from God to Abraham, was interrupted by a voice of an angel from the heavens, and the sending of a Lamb for the sacrifice instead. This Old Testament story is said to be a prophetic foreshadowing of God sending his only beloved son for the world as a sacrifice and the fulfilling of Abraham’s promise.

Fasika in Ethiopia and Eritrea is a day when people celebrate; there is a release of enjoyment after the long build-up of suffering which has taken place, to represent Christ’s fasting for forty days and forty nights. People often have food and locally brewed alcohol from fresh honey (tej, tella and katikalla).