Priests carrying the Tabots
On Timkat eve, the priests bring out the tabots, the engraved wooden or stone slabs that are the symbols of the Ark of the Covenant.
These are carried on the priests' heads in procession to the pool to bless the water where the next day's celebration will take place.
It is the tabot, rather than the church building, that is consecrated, and the tabot remains wrapped in velvet cloths, hidden from the gaze of the layman.
