Orthodox Wedding, Gondar

A bride and groom arrive at Debre Birhan Selassie Church, surrounded by song, drumbeats, and jubilant kin

In the courtyard of Debre Birhan Selassie Church in Gondar, a newlywed couple stands radiant in matching red velvet robes embroidered with gold crosses, their crowns gleaming beneath the midday sun. The bride’s white veil flows gently as family and friends encircle them, chanting and clapping to the rhythm of a ceremonial drum.

This is more than celebration — it’s a sacred procession. They’ve come to this 17th-century church, famed for its ceiling of painted angels, to receive blessings and sanctify their union before God. Afterward, the party returns to the family home or a local hall, where feasting, dancing, and storytelling continue late into the night — a communal affirmation of love, lineage, and joy.

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