ADDIS ABABA, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Millions of Orthodox faithful across the East African country Ethiopia on Sunday celebrated the unique Ethiopian Easter as per the traditions of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ethiopia follows the Eastern Orthodox calendar, different from that of the widely used Gregorian calendar.

Fasika, an Amharic term for Easter, follows two months' fasting period. During the festival, Orthodox followers visit holiday marketplaces to buy oxen, sheep, or goats for a feast, depending on their purchasing power and family size.

On the eve of the main holiday, a bustling live animals market in the Akaki neighborhood of the capital Addis Ababa was full of people as Orthodox Christians were set to break their fasting, during which eating meat was prohibited.

As a tradition, men at the household level are tasked to do the purchase of sheep, goats, or oxen while women often go to the chicken markets.

Anteneh Habtamu was one of the many people at the market, who is bargaining with a live sheep seller while wearing a face mask.

"I came here to buy a sheep, but as you see they are selling an average-sized sheep for about 4,500 birr (about 110 U.S. dollars). Last year I bought a similar-sized sheep for about 3,000 birr," Anteneh said.

Despite a price hike for live animals as compared to previous years, Orthodox faithful such as Anteneh insists it is a must to buy either a sheep or a goat to preserve the tradition.

Mohammed Hassen, a vendor at the live animals market, agreed that the cost of live animals is relatively higher than before, but he said the business was still doing well. Mohammed often sources live animals from farmers in the rural parts of the country and transports them to the capital during holidays.

After attending a night-long church service on the eve of Easter across Churches in the country on Saturday night, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians on early Sunday prepared a meal of animal products to break their fasting.

Families sat together around tables to enjoy the special dishes prepared for the feast, while relatives and neighbors visited each other and exchanged special greetings of the season, and dined together. A coffee ceremony was also a major event during Easter.

As the celebrations of Fasika often involve huge family gatherings both at the household and neighborhood level as well as continuous church activities, Ethiopian Orthodox faithful have been urged to strictly follow COVID-19 prevention measures carefully.

In her message to the public in relation to the Ethiopian Easter, the Ethiopian Minister of Health Lia Tadesse urged the public to abide by the precautionary measures and avoid possible risks of COVID-19.

The minister, in particular, emphasized the need to strictly follow such measures while visiting marketplaces. Enditem

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