Amongst the many problems that Ariela Weinberg and Biniyam Shibre have faced in their 90 Day Fiancé journey, religion has always taken the front seat. Be it Biniyam’s family insisting baby Aviel getting baptized, or Ariela’s aversion to the concept of hell, the TLC couple continue to bicker over faith. The latest episode of 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way saw Ariela feeling “uncomfortable” about their baby’s baptism while the next one will focus on a bigger Ethiopian festival called Timkat. Get to know more about it and Biniyam’s religion - Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.

Although Princeton native Ariela and Addis Ababa’s Biniyam were a promising pair on 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way season 2, trouble started brewing when it came to adapting traditions. Jewish Ariela did little to hide the fact that she wasn’t happy about her baby being a Christian, but fans also saw Biniyam not accommodating her intentions. The idea of baptism also gave Ariela second-thoughts about her move to Ethiopia, and Biniyam worried that she too would abandon him as his ex-wife did with his first son. But while Ariela’s parents were seen coming to terms with what they thought were Biniyam’s substandard living conditions, the freelance writer was seen hesitatingly attending Aviel’s ceremony. Ariela’s reaction to the priest putting a Bible in her face has been called disrespectful by 90 Day Fiancé fans but the next episode’s preview shows her mouthing some more unintentional yet scathing remarks about Biniyam’s faith. However, TLC fans are looking forward to seeing Biniyam and Ariela attending Timkat and learn more about Orthodox Christian culture.

Related: 90 Day Fiancé: Ariela Confesses Her TMJ Disorder Affects How She Looks On TV

According to Pew Research, 90 Day Fiancé’s Biniyam’s country Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa has 36 million Orthodox Christians, the world’s second-largest Orthodox population after Russia. Nearly all Orthodox Ethiopians, about 98%, say “religion is very important to them,” while 78% attend church every week. The country was one of the first to officially adopt Christianity which dates back to the ancient Kingdom of Aksum when King Ezana first adopted the faith. The largest and oldest church in the country is the Oriental Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Addis Ababa. Britannica calls it “Ethiopia’s most influential religious body,” and it has also served as the repository of the nation’s literary tradition and its visual arts. More than two-fifths of Ethiopians follow the teachings of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and have various celebrations and holidays including the annual Timkat Festival, which marks the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.

Ariela and Biniyam 90 Day Fiance

As shown in 90 Day Fiancé, the festival has large crows assembling all over the country as the religious festivities commence, with spectacular processions, song, dance, and prayer. The Travel Magazine explains that the colorful festival takes place on January 19 every year and lasts for three days. In Addis Ababa, the streets are adorned with green, red, and yellow to represent the Ethiopian flag, and priests walk through the streets holding colorful and richly decorated umbrellas.  Replicas of the Ark of the Covenant called Tabots are carried pools, streams, or the river by the seniormost priests of every church on the top of their heads. As noted by Brilliant Ethiopia, the tabots are then kept in a tent with the priests hold a vigil through the night lighting candles and lamps, as the followers too, spend their time praying, singing, and dancing. The second day is when the main celebrations begin with people merrily marching through the streets in a riot of colors and the “pool or stream is then blessed and sprinkled on believers.”

The crowded and colorful afternoon thus sees everyone fighting to touch the water to get its blessings. As the preview for 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way’s new episode suggests, it’s the same crowds that will be a bother for Ariela considering baby Aviel is just a month old. Will the colorful celebrations end up causing chaos in Ariela and Biniyam’s relationship? Or will they surprisingly prove to be the start of new traditions for the 90 Day Fiancé couple to follow as a family?

Next: 90 Day Fiancé: What To Know About Ariela Danielle's Instagram, Baby, Job, Past & More

90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way airs Sundays at 8 pm EST on TLC

Source: Pew ResearchBritannica, TheTravelMagazine, BrilliantEthiopia