Its practices are arcane, complex, and almost unfathomable to the uninitiated. It is a severe and ascetic faith. Judaic laws on diet and circumcision are followed strictly. A priest in Lalibela may spend about 12 hours a day at the church, with Sunday ceremonies starting at midnight. The devout pray seven times a day, and fast on 180 days in the year.
Hermits live in the woods and caves around the monasteries.
During times of persecution, churches were built in the most inaccessible places, on cliff-tops, islands, and mountains. Even today, the Church wields a major influence on national politics and local lives. It is estimated that there are 20 million Christians in Ethiopia. The Church itself claims 38 million. Today the clergy number about 200,000, scattered in 15,000 churches.