Ethiopia’s Orthodox Christians are celebrating Christmas with prayers for peace in the Horn of Africa nation that has faced persistent conflict in recent years.

Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia follow the Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar used by Catholic and Protestant churches. They celebrate Christmas with special traditions. Families slaughter animals,

This year, thousands of Ethiopian pilgrims and international tourists gathered in the historic town of Lalibela to celebrate Orthodox Christmas at one of the world’s oldest and most unique churches. Lalibela’s churches,

Thousands of Orthodox Christians celebrated Christmas on Monday, attending prayers and midnight mass, draped in an all-white traditional attire to mark the birth of Jesus Christ and the end of a 43-day fasting period.