This photo essay appeared in the Sept. 6, 2007 edition of Jayplay, and can be found athttp://www.kansan.com/stories/2007/sep/06/fight_above/?jayplay. The images in this gallery are property of The University Daily Kansan (http://www.kansan.com) and are not to be used without permission.
Smoke from rocks of incense fills the sanctuary. A priest in flowing golden robes circles the pews. Chants echo through the room. Rays of early morning sun shine down on the white-covered heads of the crowd. The sights, sounds, and smells come from a place far away.
But this church is in the heart of midwest America in Shawnee, Kan.
Kidane Mehret Ethiopian Orthodox Church celebrated one of its largest celebrations of the year on Sunday, Aug. 26. Hiwot Hailemariam, 2007 KU graduate, was one in attendance.
Hailemariam was born and raised in Ethiopia. She moved to the U.S. over a decade ago. But she has worked hard to hold on to her cultural traditions.
And for her the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is a centerpiece.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is the only pre-colonial Christian church in Sub-Saharan Africa. It became the official religion of the Axumite kingdom of northern Ethiopia in the 4th century CE.
The celebration at Kidane Mehret was for the Virgin Mary, the saint for whom the church is named.
Smoke from rocks of incense fills the sanctuary. A priest in flowing golden robes circles the pews. Chants echo through the room. Rays of early morning sun shine down on the white-covered heads of the crowd. The sights, sounds, and smells come from a place far away.
But this church is in the heart of midwest America in Shawnee, Kan.
Kidane Mehret Ethiopian Orthodox Church celebrated one of its largest celebrations of the year on Sunday, Aug. 26. Hiwot Hailemariam, 2007 KU graduate, was one in attendance.
Hailemariam was born and raised in Ethiopia. She moved to the U.S. over a decade ago. But she has worked hard to hold on to her cultural traditions.
And for her the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is a centerpiece.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is the only pre-colonial Christian church in Sub-Saharan Africa. It became the official religion of the Axumite kingdom of northern Ethiopia in the 4th century CE.
The celebration at Kidane Mehret was for the Virgin Mary, the saint for whom the church is named.
