honorable mention
Violetta Canitano italy
title
TIMKAT DAYS
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entry description
The Coptic Orthodox Church’s Epiphany , which is celebrated every year in mid-January(from 19th) , is the first religious festivals of Ethiopia. The Timkat commemorates Jesus's baptism in the Jordan and the most sincere celebrations are blessing of the water and the exposure of the Tabot ( a reproduction of the Ark of the Alleance ) through the streets of the city. How to Lalibela to Axum and Gondar , some of the most devout city , crowds of worshipers come from all over the country. In the town of Axum , the Timkat still has an authentic taste . In the church of S.maria of Zion, in the small town’s center , the day starts early during these days , at 5 am people gather for the first vigils , the faces of the women with the inseparable Netela , the typical white shawl with which one covers the head , are lighted only by the dim lights of the long candles . You breathe meditation and prayer of the faithful who in silence are listening to the sounds of the drums and preachers sermons before the great procession through the streets of the city. The water (symbol of the baptism of Jesus) has a very strong symbolic meaning for Coptic Orthodox believers. The Bath of the Queen of Saba in Axum is a reservoir considered sacred . Every day with large yellow canisters women take the water to take home , wash their clothes , boys take the opportunity to swim. During the festival , this huge bath is blessed and it is said that he who drinks this water will not get sick . In Lalibela, the ancestral cave churches close, like a precious jewel , a time of prayer intimate, personal . In small chapels ,about the photographer
I start my photographic journey in 2009 , attending basic courses in photography. Then I'm interested in different laboratories photojournalism with Fausto Podavini Collettivo WSP (with dedicated portfolio readings curated by Marco Pinna, Maysa Moroni and Tiziana Faraoni ). I enrich my journey with a photographic workshop in Ethiopia ( always by CollettivoWSP) , according to the tribes of the Omo Valley and during celebrations of Timkat, and India, among the various religious communities of Ladakh , but also in Italy by participating in public events to realize small reportages . Attend, in addition, a course in photo-editor with Marco Pinna (National Geographic magazine) participating simultaneously in several competitions . I am currently working on several projects in the individual and collective social realities of my city : Rome.back to gallery