Ethiopia is a country where religions are very important. The churches have a very large following, especially the two main religions, the Orthodox Christians and the Muslims. The other communities present are the Protestants and, to a lesser extent, the Catholics. The Protestant religion is in strong growth while the others are relatively stable. The Jews are few in number in Ethiopia but have an important place in the religious history of the country.
The weight of the different religions in Ethiopia
There is an undeniable rise of Protestantism (to the detriment of the Orthodox) which is increasing in all Ethiopian regions without exception. The weight of the Orthodox Christian religion nevertheless remains predominant, as shown by the system of dates and times of the Ethiopian calendar !
In terms of the geographical distribution of these religions, Ethiopia can be roughly divided into the highlands (Addis Ababa, Amhara and Tigray) where the inhabitants are predominantly Orthodox and the eastern regions (Harar, Afar and Somali) where the inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslim. The Oromia region is divided, with 53 % Christians and 43 % Muslims. The Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples region is the only one where Protestants are the most numerous
Religion in the Amhara region
Sona is located in the Gondar North district, in the Amhara region. With over 17 million inhabitants, the Amhara region is one of the most densely populated in Ethiopia. It covers an area of more than 150,000 km2 and has a maximum altitude of 4,533 m at the summit of Ras Dashen. Orthodox Christians are in the majority, accounting for more than 82% of the population. Muslims account for 17% of the population of the Amhara region. Ethiopia's regions are thus very marked in terms of religion.
The Jews of Ethiopia
On the road from Gondar to Debark, one of Ethiopia's few Jewish communities, known as "Falachas", still exists. Ethiopian Jews prefer to call themselves "Beta Israel" ("the house of Israel"). They consider the name Falachas (or "Falashas", meaning "landless" in the classical Ethiopian language Guèze) to be pejorative. The term Falachas is therefore mainly used by non-Jewish Ethiopians.
According to their tradition, they are descended from the Dan tribe which has been living for thousands of years in the north of Ethiopia (Gondar region, but also Tigray). They constituted independent states until the 17th century, when the imperial power was established and crushed the small independent states of the north of Ethiopia, whatever their religion.
The Ethiopian Jewish community numbered around 100,000, mainly in the north and west of the country. In 1975, the Israeli government recognised their Jewishness and from 1977, Ethiopian Jews emigrated en masse to Israel. Today, only small communities of Falashas remain.
Religion at Sona
Sona is located in the Amhara region, so the dominant religion is Orthodox Christian. Churches dot the headlands of the Sona plateau and host many ceremonies. As is often the case in rural areas, the priests are pillars of the community, in the same way as the village chief and the teacher. The priest of Sona played a major role in supporting the project and participated in the high points with the population. A place has been reserved for him on the School Building Committee. He is one of the driving forces behind the mobilization of the population of Sona for whom religion, as everywhere in Ethiopia, is very important.
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