Ethiopian Christmas, or Ganna, is celebrated on Jan. 7 by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and is a special time for Ethiopians at home and in the diaspora, many of whom are devout Christians. “Ganna is usually such a great time,” Kidane told ABC over the phone. This year marks the second Ganna since the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region began in November 2020, leaving the Horn of Africa nation — and the lives of Ethiopians in the diaspora — transformed. “At the start of the war in December there was a massacre that killed over 1,000 people literally a couple weeks before Christmas,” she told ABC News via video interview. The deal has led to basic services beginning to be restored in Tigray, including the return of limited banking services and arrival of humanitarian and medical aid, raising hope for some that peace may soon be restored to the Tigray region.

Source: Ethiopian News January 10, 2023 22:26 UTC