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ASPECT OF RELIGIOUS SYNCRETISM AND UNRESTRICTED SAINT VENERATIONS: THE CASE OF ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS IN GONDAR CITY, NORTH WEST ETHIOPIA [Abstract ID: 1301-03]
The objective of the study is to investigate the intermarriage of Christian and Muslim cultures and religions which gave birth to a new identity that proved the source of belongingness and familyhood. Common practices among both Christians and Muslims have included saint venerations, baptism in holy water, commemoration of holy men, magical practices, exorcising of evils spirits, honoring the dead, and praying at the ‘Sacred Tree’. Moreover both communities celebrate annual events such as Ginbot lideta and participate in fasts dictacted by religious rules. They also share cultures that have been conventionally specific to one of the religions. For instance, Yetut lij (breast son or daughter), sometimes called Abe liji, is traditionally practiced only among Christians in other part of Ethiopia, yet has been practiced by Muslims for the purpose of sustaining friendships without blood ties and maintaining religious uniformity. Thus, such cultural and social innovations has had profound implications on the intercommunal relations that determine the relationship between Muslim and Christian neighbors.