For Your Holiday Table

In Ethiopia, “there’s no such thing as Christmas morning gifts,” said Selam Kahsay, our Health and Wellness Specialist. Instead, their Christmas Day celebrations revolve around food, coffee, and time with family and friends. 

“On Christmas Eve, we’re very caught up in preparing meals,” Selam explained. She said it takes an entire half day to prepare a chicken stew and a recipe called “tihlo,” which is a traditional dish popular in the northern part of Ethiopia.

To make tihlo, Selam’s mother, Lemlem, brings barley flour from her hometown up north, where they roast barley themselves using pure sand over a hot stove. With the flour, she can make dough for the tihlo.

“Growing up, I watched my mom spend hours preparing tihlo and it was always exciting for our entire household,” Selam said. “It’s a dish that brings everyone together around a large, circular tray to enjoy while Mom rolls and drops the tihlo balls for each of us.”

After a day full of cooking and preparing, Selam and Lemlem attend a Christmas Eve Mass at the Catholic church. The Ethiopian Catholic and Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas, known as Genna, on January 7th, according to the Julian calendar. The Christmas Eve Mass lasts until 3 a.m. on Christmas morning! The service includes prayers, songs, and vibrant processions with priests and deacons carrying candles and singing hymns. The Scripture readings are primarily in Ge’ez, the liturgical language of the Ethiopian Church. 

“The church is filled with incense, symbolizing prayers ascending to God,” Selam explained, adding that the Eucharistic celebration is central and the heart of the Mass. “There’s a strong sense of community and joy as families and friends gather to celebrate the birth of Christ.”

“God gave us His Son as a gift,” Selam continued. “Because God has given me so much, I want to give to people who are in the most need.” 

So do our Samaritan Scholars. While they are studying to rise out of poverty, our scholars in after-school, skill-building clubs look for ways to help the elderly and people in need during Advent.

On Christmas Day, Selam and her family gather and eat tihlo and other delicious foods and sweets for a big meal at lunchtime. Then they snack on sweets all day. “The kids love it,” she said.

“We’re sharing not only a meal,” she explained, “but laughter and love.”

Selam Kahsay, Health & Wellness, Ethiopia

Selam is a public health expert passionate about working with vulnerable communities. She has many years of experience working closely with neglected patients from the poorest sections of the city, which consequently set the tone for her professional decision to always work in close proximity with overlooked communities. Selam holds a Master’s in Public Health from Addis Ababa University.