Buhe ( Ge'ez: ቡሄ ''Buhē'') is a

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

observed by the

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...

and

Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is one of the Oriental Orthodox Churches with its headquarters in Asmara, Eritrea. It was given autocephaly by Shenouda III of Alexandria, pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, after Eritrea gained its in ...

on 19 August (13 Nahase in the

Ethiopian calendar The Ethiopian calendar (; ; ), or Geʽez calendar (Geʽez: ; Tigrinya: , ) is the official state civil calendar of Ethiopia and serves as an unofficial customary cultural calendar in Eritrea, and among Ethiopians and Eritreans in the dia ...

). On this date, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church celebrates the

Transfiguration of Jesus The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event described in the New Testament where Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is Transfiguration (religion), transfigured and becomes radiant in Glory (religion), glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (, , ) r ...

on Mount Tabor (''Debre Tabor'' Ge'ez: ደብረ ታቦር).

Observance

Buhe celebrated by Ethiopian Orthodox and Eritrean Orthodox Churches on 19 August (13 Nehase in

) in commemoration of

Mount Tabor Mount Tabor ( ; ; ), sometimes spelled Mount Thabor, is a large hill of biblical significance in Lower Galilee, Northern District (Israel), northern Israel, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, west of the Sea of Galilee. In the Hebrew Bi ...

(''Debre Tabor'' in Ge'ez). Buhe is one of old age religious and cultural festival. Observations include people of the neighborhood tie a bundle of sticks together to make a chibo, and set it on fire while singing songs. The main song is called "Hoya Hoye" with one singer singing while the others follow in a rhythmic way. It involves young boys singing songs of praise outside of people's homes, in exchange for fresh bread called ''mulmul''. The boys then bless the family of the home for the following year.

References

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Christian festivals and holy days August observances Religious festivals in Ethiopia {{OrientalOrthodoxy-stub