Religion in Ethiopia

religion in the country

thumb|Zār ceremony on Hormuz Island

Ethiopian and Eritrean folklore

Waaq (also Waq or Waaqa) is the name for the sky God in several Cushitic languages, including the Oromo and Somali languages.

A debtera (or dabtara; Ge'ez/Tigrinya/Amharic: ደብተራ (Däbtära); plural, Ge'ez\Tigrinya: debterat, Amharic: debtrawoch ) is an itinerant religious figure in the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches, and the Beta Israel, who sings hymns and dances for churchgoers, and who performs exorcisms and white magic to aid the congregation. A debtera will claim an ecclesiastical identity and behave as in minor orders. They may in fact be officially ordained as deacons, or may act outside the Church hierarchy. They are usually feared by the local population.

Waaqeffanna is an ethnic religion indigenous to the Oromo people in the Horn of Africa as well as other Cushitic speaking peoples. The word Waaqeffanna, deriving from the word Waaqa, is the ancient name for Creator in various Cushitic languages including the Oromo people and Somali people. The followers of the Waaqeffanna religion are called Waaqeffataa and they believe in the supreme being (the one God). It is estimated that about 23% of the Oromo population, which is 8,095,000 Oromos, in present-day Ethiopia actively practice this religion. Some put the number around 5,000,000, depending on