Faithful woman. by Ton Bijvank

Almost every Ethiopian believes in God. Religion is practised through (orthodox) Christianity, Islam or Judaism. Figures on numbers are variable, but let's just say that more than half of Ethiopians are orthodox Christian, a third are Muslim and the latter includes a collection of a handful of Jewish phalashas, a few Protestants or Catholics and a miscellaneous category besides a very rare atheist. And ahead, I will also give some attention to rastafari in this piece, but only because it provides an attraction for visitors to the country. Ethiopian Christian stupid is often wrongly called Coptic in the West but in Ethiopia, with a few exceptions, Christianity is similar to Ethiopian Orthodoxy. It is a movement of Christianity that has developed on its own for centuries with influences from Judaism, such as circumcision of boys. The Orthodox fast regularly. Standard is Wednesdays and Fridays, a few weeks before Easter and beyond that it depends on how strictly religious you are. The most fanatical adherents abstain from all animal products for more than half the year and eat and drink before noon. An important aspect of this faith is the Ark of the Covenant, which Ethiopians believe is the original in Axum. Each church has a red curtain hanging inaccessible to visitors with the Holy of Holies behind it, a copy of commandments from the Ark. D

This artwork is offered by Ton Bijvank

During my travels across the various continents I have made many portraits. Street photography and portraits are the things I do then. The countries I visited with my wife are Ethiopia, Mali, South Africa, United States, Canada, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, China, India, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Tibet, Hong Kong, Singapore, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Dubai, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and of course most of Europe.

Learn more about Ton Bijvank?

• All artworks by Ton Bijvank