13 Days: Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Holy Week and Fasika in Jerusalem

Today your journey begins. You board your flight toward the Holy Land, and by the following day you will walk on the very ground where Jesus Christ himself once walked. It is a day of anticipation, of prayer, and of quiet preparation for what lies ahead.

You land at Ben Gurion Airport, where the AJET team gives you a warm and heartfelt welcome. From there we take you directly to your hotel in Jerusalem, where you rest and settle in. Dinner and your overnight stay are in Jerusalem, the city at the heart of this pilgrimage.

After breakfast we begin at the holy place of Mount Zion. We continue to the Upper Room, where the Lord washed the feet of his disciples and shared the last Passover meal with them. From there we visit the Tomb of King David and the Church of the Dormition, then enter the Old City through Zion Gate to the Western Wall. In the evening we join the Holy Thursday observance at the Ethiopian church.

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"He poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet."

John 13:5

We begin at the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the man who had been an invalid for thirty eight years. Then we walk the Via Dolorosa, the fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross, beginning at the hall of Pilate and ending at Deir es-Sultan, the Ethiopian monastery on the rooftop of the Holy Sepulchre. Here we take part in the Good Friday observance of the Ethiopian church.

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"Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull."

John 19:17

In the early morning we take part in the liturgy at Golgotha, the place of the crucifixion. After breakfast we drive to the Mount of Olives, visiting the Church of the Ascension, then Bethphage where Jesus began his entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. We visit the Pater Noster Church, take in the view over the old city, and descend to Dominus Flevit and the Garden of Gethsemane. In the evening we return to Deir es-Sultan for the candle-lighting ceremony and the Easter vigil.

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"As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it."

Luke 19:41

This is the day the whole pilgrimage has moved toward. We celebrate the feast of the Resurrection with joy and gladness, together with a wonderful Easter meal shared as one community. The day is given to celebration and rest. Your overnight stay is in Jerusalem.

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"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."
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Matthew 28:6

We travel through the striking wilderness of Judea to Jericho, seeing the sycamore tree of Zacchaeus and the spring of Elisha. We climb to the Mount of Temptation, where Jesus was tested. We visit Qasr al-Yahud, the very place on the Jordan where Jesus was baptized by John. Then we descend to Ein Bokek on the southern shore of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, to rest and float in its mineral waters.

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"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened."

Matthew 3:16

We travel through lower Galilee, taking in the Jezreel Valley and the plain of Megiddo. We ascend Mount Tabor, where the Lord revealed his divine light in the Transfiguration. We visit Cana of Galilee, where Jesus performed his first miracle, turning water into wine. Then we continue to Nazareth and the ancient Grotto of the Annunciation, where the angel Gabriel brought his message to the Virgin Mary. Overnight is in Tiberias.

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"There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun."

Matthew 17:2

We visit the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. We continue to Tabgha, where he multiplied the five loaves and two fish, with its ancient mosaic floor. At Capernaum, the town of Jesus, we see the second-century synagogue and the house of Peter. We share a St. Peter's fish lunch, then sail across the Sea of Galilee by boat, the water on which Jesus walked. Overnight is in Tiberias.

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"Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people."

Matthew 4:19

We begin at Mount Carmel, the vineyard of God, and the cave of the great prophet Elijah. In Haifa we look out over the beautiful terraced Baha'i Gardens. We drive the Mediterranean coast to Jaffa, the ancient port where Jonah boarded a ship to flee from the Lord, and where the apostle Peter went up to the rooftop of Simon the tanner to pray and received his vision. We visit the old harbour of Jaffa. Overnight is in Jerusalem.

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"He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship."

‍Jonah 1:3

After breakfast we travel to Bethlehem, the city of King David, and the Basilica of the Nativity that marks the birthplace of Jesus. We see Shepherd's Field, where the angel announced the good news of great joy to shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. In the afternoon we visit Ein Karem, the birthplace of John the Baptist, and the church marking the visit of Mary to her relative Elizabeth. We see the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth and Mary's Spring. Overnight is in Jerusalem.

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"She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger."

Luke 2:7

Today is yours. It is a free day for personal time, for shopping in the markets of the old city, and for quiet reflection on all you have seen and felt across this pilgrimage. Your guide can offer suggestions, and the day is unhurried.

Your pilgrimage comes to its close. We transfer you to the airport for your journey home, carrying with you the memory of walking where Christ walked, and of celebrating his Resurrection in the holy city itself. You leave changed, with a faith that now has a place and a landscape.