---
title: "Genna in Ethiopia | Taste of Ethiopia"
description: "Explore Genna in Ethiopia: its date, meaning and traditions, with a live countdown and cultural guide from Taste of Ethiopia."
url: "https://testofethiopiarestaurant.com.au/events/genna"
---

National religious holiday

# Genna

ገና

Ethiopian Christmas is a deeply observed feast of worship, white cotton dress, family food and the end of a long fast.

Thursday 7 January 2027

**\--** days  **\--** hours  **\--** minutes  **\--** seconds

Tahsas 29, 2019 E.C. · Addis Ababa time

![Worshippers holding candles during Christmas vigil in Lalibela](https://testofethiopiarestaurant.com.au/assets/events/genna.webp)

Photo: [Tanjagari, CC BY-SA 4.0](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christmas_Vigil_Lalibela.jpg)

CALENDAR NOTE

Tahsas 29 is observed nationally on 7 January.

[View the full cultural calendar](https://testofethiopiarestaurant.com.au/events)

01 · MEANING

## What it means.

Also called Lidet, Genna celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ according to the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar. The name Genna is also associated with a traditional field game played around the feast.

02 · TRADITION

## How it is marked.

Many worshippers attend long services that continue through Christmas Eve into the early morning. People often wear a white netela or gabi, then return home to break the fast with family and neighbours.

03 · EXPERIENCE

## What you may see.

Lalibela is especially renowned for candlelit worship around its rock-hewn churches. Elsewhere, church song, incense, coffee and shared dishes give the day a quiet, communal warmth.

[Next in the cultural year **Timket**](https://testofethiopiarestaurant.com.au/events/timket)

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