The story
Genna Addis Ababa in Addis Ababa
Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas, Genna, falls on January 7, roughly two weeks after Western Christmas due to the Ethiopian Church's own calendar. Named for a traditional stick-and-ball game once played by boys on the day, Genna in Addis Ababa involves an overnight church vigil and Christmas feast, while the largest pilgrimage gathering takes place at Lalibela's rock-hewn churches.
Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas, Genna, falls on Tahsas 29 of the Ethiopian calendar, corresponding to January 7 on the Gregorian calendar, roughly two weeks after the Western Christmas date because the Ethiopian Church follows its own calendar reckoning rather than the Gregorian calculation used in most of the Christian world.