Hidar Tsion (ኅዳር ጽዮን) is the annual feast of St. Mary of Zion on Hidar 21. Its centre is Aksum, the ancient capital in northern Ethiopia, home of the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion. The Ethiopian Orthodox church holds that the chapel beside it keeps the original Ark of the Covenant, brought from Jerusalem in the time of Menelik I, the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
How it is celebrated
Tens of thousands of pilgrims travel to Aksum, many on foot, for night-long prayers and a great procession on the morning of the feast, with priests in ceremonial robes, umbrellas and chanting. Churches named after Tsion Mariam across Ethiopia and Eritrea, and in the diaspora, celebrate on the same day.
The date
Hidar 21 falls on November 30 in most years and on December 1 in the year after an Ethiopian leap year.
Ge'ez Calendar