Merry Christmas: Ethiopian-Armenian Nativity Scene in Addis Ababa, 1926 | Շնորհավոր Սուրբ Ծնունդ!

♱ Armenia and Ethiopia are the two most ancient Christian nations of the planet.

♱ St. George Armenian Apostolic Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

❖ What happens to Christian Armenia/ Ethiopia also happens to Christian Ethiopia /Armenia

• The origin of the Armenian alphabet to the Ethiopic Writing System.

Ethiopian-Armenian contacts also found expression, according to the theory propounded by Professor Dimitri Olderogge (1974, I, 195-203), in the possible adoption of a number of Ge’ez, or Ethiopic, letters in the Armenian alphabet (cf. Turaev, 1913, 7-8. Conti Rossini, 1942a, 195).

From ancient religious ties to modern diplomatic efforts, the bond between Armenia and Ethiopia runs deep.

The Armenian-Ethiopian relations are mentioned in the testimonies of the historian Movses Khorenatsi.

In the 7th century, due to the Arab Muslim persecution, a great number of Armenians emigrated from Syria, Palestine, Egypt to Ethiopia, and settled near the present-day city of Dessie. They built the Istifanos Monastery (also known as St. Stephan Monastery) (it stood until 1527) and established an Armenian settlement, which is known in the Abyssinian chronicle as “Hayk” and “the Armenian island”.

The Armenian community in Ethiopia was replenished with Armenians emigrated from Egypt (12th century) and those migrated after the fall of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (late 14th century).

Armenians played a great role in the preservation of the Ethiopian church, cultural traditions, chronicle, and the economic development of the country.

In the 16th century, Armenian clergymen established monasteries and schools in Ethiopia, translated the work of Gregory the Illuminator, various speeches, and other works from Armenian to Amharic.

In 1539, by the order of King Lebna Dengel, Ethiopia switched to the Armenian calendar.

Armenian traders imported hardware, lead, silk, cotton, glassware, dyes, cars to Ethiopia and exported beeswax, ivory, fur, coffee, etc.

From the late 19th century, Armenians supplied the Ethiopian army with artillery and other weapons.

In the 1930s, there were 2800 Armenians in Ethiopia, mainly living in Addis Ababa, as well as in the cities of Dire Dawa, Harar, and Zeila.

As a result of the hard economic condition in Ethiopia that occurred after the 1974 revolution, most local Armenians lost their property and emigrated from the country.

In 2003, the number of Armenians was 80-90. Nowadays, there are around 100 Armenians residing in Ethiopia, mainly in Addis Ababa.

The Ethiopian pastorate of the Armenian Apostolic Church is functioning, and it is included in the Diocese of Egypt (with the center of the Sourp Kevork (St. George) Church in Addis Ababa).

The Armenian National School “Kevorkoff”, where the Armenian language, history, geography, religion, Amharic, English, and France have been taught, is located in Ethiopia. In 1996, the number of students was 100, only 11 of which were Armenians.

Today, the school functions as “Kevorkoff” International School, where there are no Armenians among students.

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