January 18, 2022
Weekly religious, spiritual and nonreligious observances
The President's Committee on Religion, Spirituality and Nonreligious Diversity presents the global observance information for Jan. 18-23.
Jan. 18-25, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Christian. This is an ecumenical observance. The theme for this year is "We Saw the Star in the East, and We Came To Worship Him."
Jan. 19-21, Timkat, Ethiopian Christian, commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ by St. John the Baptist in the River Jordan. Festivities take place over three days and involve processions of the Ark of the Covenant (symbolizing the tablets on which the 10 commandments were written) to a river or bath, celebration of mass very early in the morning on the second day, wearing of white clothing including headscarves, baptism of participants and eating of special foods, especially spiced chicken and Ethiopian flatbread filled with vegetables and meats. Pilgrims travel to Ethiopia to participate in this event, especially to Lalibela, Ethiopia’s holy Christian City.
Jan. 19, Holy Theophany Orthodox Christian (Old Calendar), commemorates the Baptism of Jesus Christ by St. John the Baptist in the River Jordan, and the revelation of the Holy Trinity which took place, with the Father bearing witness to the Son and the Spirit descending in the likeness of a dove.
The President's Committee on Religious, Spiritual and Nonreligious Diversity welcomes those of all global religious, spiritual and nonreligious commitments. Further, we welcome any suggestions, questions or other comments. Please contact the chair, Bev Earles, at earles@k-state.edu.