Christmas
CELEBRATED AROUND THE WORLD
Merry Ganna in Ethiopia
Ethiopians still follow the Julian calendar, consequently they celebrate Christmas on January 7. Christmas is known as Ganna. The day before Ganna is a day of fasting. The following morning at dawn, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church celebrates the birth of Jesus. Everyone wears the traditional dress, shamma, a white, thin cotton wrap, to celebrate Christmas except the clergy that is adorned in lavish robes. After the service, families celebrate by giving gifts, playing games, and to make up for the fast, they prepare a great Ethiopian feast.