Wedding traditions of Lalibela
A mountain town of rock-hewn churches where Orthodox couples marry in the sacramental rite.
Lalibela is a pilgrimage town with eleven churches cut from rock. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church marries in a rite called kurban, in which the couple takes communion together, which is meant to bind them for life. Many couples marry in a civil ceremony and hold a church one later.
A wedding here
Priests and deacons bless the couple in the church with chanting, and the couple takes a vow before the altar. The family hosts a meal of wat, injera and tella, a local beer. Festivals such as Genna draw pilgrims and families.
Law and change
Child marriage is reported in the Amhara region and is a crime, but customs persist. The government and NGOs run awareness campaigns, and the church has been asked to tighten its rules.
Wedding customs of Lalibela
Also part of it, and being written: Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (The church.), Lalibela (The town.), Tella (The beer.), Child marriage (The legal context.).
A wedding trail idea for Lalibela
- Church of Saint George, Lalibela The cross-shaped church.
- Biete Medhane Alem The largest rock church.
- Lalibela Market A market on market days.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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