In Ethiopia, Christmas Day, known as Ganna, is one of the most important religious holidays and it is celebrated by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church on January 7th as opposed to December 25th. This is due to the use of the Julian calendar in Ethiopia, as opposed to the Gregorian calendar used by most of the Western world. The delay in the celebration aligns aligns with the belief that the Christ was born on January 7, in contrast to the widespread belief in most Christian faiths that he was born on December 25th.
The Christmas celebration in Ethiopia is unique with various rituals and ceremonies. The faithful gather in churches for a mass that often starts the day before and continues until the morning of Ganna. The churchgoers are dressed in white traditional clothing called 'Shamma', and the church officials conduct the ceremonies wearing colorful ecclesiastical clothing. The ceremony is accompanied by traditional music played by priests using traditional instruments.
Following the religious ceremonies, various cultural activities take place. Sports events known as 'yeferas guks' are among the popular ones, highlight being a hockey-like game that is traditionally played by men. Also, it is common to consume special meals, including 'injera' and 'doro wat', a spicy chicken stew. Despite the difference in calendar and customs, the spirit of spreading joy, sharing, and expressing goodwill remains a universal theme of the celebration.