About Ethiopian Christmas (Genna)
Ethiopian Christmas — Genna, also called Lidet — falls on January 7 in the Gregorian calendar, which is Tahsas 29 in the Ethiopian calendar. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church follows a calendar that runs thirteen days behind the Gregorian one, which is why the Nativity is celebrated nearly two weeks after December 25 elsewhere. The countdown above tracks the days until the next Genna.
The celebration is preceded by a fast of about forty-three days, during which the faithful abstain from animal products. It ends with an all-night service: worshippers dress in the white cotton shamma, hold candles and circle the church three times before Mass, which runs from the evening until the early hours. Nowhere is it more striking than in Lalibela, where tens of thousands gather at the rock-hewn churches carved out of the ground in the 12th and 13th centuries.
The day itself is for family and food — doro wat, the spiced chicken stew, served on injera, with tella or tej to drink. Genna is also the name of a hockey-like game traditionally played with a curved stick on Christmas Day, said to echo the shepherds who first heard of the Nativity. Coffee is roasted, ground and brewed in front of guests in the three-round ceremony that is the centre of Ethiopian hospitality.
Upcoming dates
| 2027 | Thursday, January 7, 2027next |
| 2028 | Friday, January 7, 2028 |
| 2029 | Sunday, January 7, 2029 |
| 2030 | Monday, January 7, 2030 |
| 2031 | Tuesday, January 7, 2031 |
FAQ
When is Ethiopian Christmas?
January 7 in the Gregorian calendar — Tahsas 29 in the Ethiopian calendar — thirteen days after December 25.
Why is Ethiopian Christmas on January 7?
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church keeps the older Julian reckoning, which now runs thirteen days behind the Gregorian calendar most of the world uses.
What is the difference between Genna and Lidet?
They refer to the same feast. Lidet means "birth" and is the church name for the Nativity; Genna is the popular name, and also the name of a traditional game played that day.
Where is the biggest celebration?
Lalibela, in the Amhara region, where tens of thousands of pilgrims gather at the eleven rock-hewn churches for the overnight service.