Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
An ancient African Christianity, unbroken since the fourth century.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is one of the world's most ancient Christian communions. Christianity became the state religion of the Kingdom of Aksum in the fourth century under King Ezana, evangelized by St. Frumentius (Abuna Selama). With roughly 50 million faithful, it is the largest Oriental Orthodox church.
"Tewahedo" — one united nature
The word Tewahedo means "made one" in Ge'ez, and expresses the miaphysite Christology shared by the Oriental Orthodox family: Christ is one incarnate nature of God the Word, both fully divine and fully human, without confusion or separation.
Fasting
The Ethiopian Church prescribes some of the strictest and most numerous fasts in all of Christendom. Faithful laypeople keep more than 180 days of fasting each year; monks and clergy keep more than 250. Fasts are vegan, and no food at all is eaten before the daily Liturgy on fast days.
The Ethiopian calendar
The Ethiopian Church uses its own calendar of 12 months of 30 days plus a 5- or 6-day month (Pagumē). The Ethiopian new year falls in September of the civil calendar, and the Ethiopian year runs about 7–8 years behind the Gregorian.