Calendar, Ethiopian

Ethiopia is located in the Horn of Africa, neighboring Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, and Djibouti. It is one of the oldest countries of the world, with diverse ethnicity, languages, cultures, religions, and traditions. Ethiopia was under the rule of monarchs for decades, if not centuries; from 1974 to 1991 it was under military rule. Beginning in [Page 128]1991, Ethiopia instituted a federal system of government with some forms of democratization. Unlike most nations in Africa, Ethiopia maintained its independence from colonialism. This nation has its own calendar, and it recently celebrated the end of the second millennium on September 12, 2007. This date marks New Year's Day 2000 on the Ethiopian calendar.

The Ethiopian calendar divides the year into 13 months with 12 months of 30 days and one month of 5 or 6 days (see Table 1). The 13th month is an intercalary month called Paguemain; it has 5 days that become 6 days every 4 leap years on a leap year. Ethiopia is known for having a 13-month calendar; it has become part of a slogan to attract tourists: Ethiopia, 13 months of sunshine. The table, adapted from Aberra Molla, presents the names of the months in Amharic and English, and their starting dates in the Gregorian calendar, including the variations of the starting dates during leap years.

The Ethiopian New Year begins on September 11 of the Gregorian calendar and on September 12 in leap years. The New Year falls in September, right after the end of the rainy season. After 3 months of clouds, fog, cold, and rain, September brings a joyous season of sunshine and blossoming flowers. It also brings the start of the school year for children, with the big feast of the New Year holiday called Enkutatasb—the mark of the beginning of the year. Another holiday, Meskel, follows a fortnight later and celebrates the discovery of the True Cross (Meskel). September brings the beauty of greenery and flowers, relief from the darkness of the rainy months, and a fresh start for another year.

The year 2007/2008 in the Gregorian calendar is the year 2000 in the Ethiopian calendar. It marks the end of the second millennium and the beginning of the third millennium. The Ethiopian calendar falls behind the Gregorian calendar by 7 or 8 years. The 7 years' difference ranges from September to December, and it becomes 8 years beginning from January up to August. For example, the 7-year difference between the two calendars in the month of December becomes a difference of 8 years in January after the New Year of the Gregorian calendar, whereas it comes back to 7 years in September again, right after the Ethiopian New Year. This is, as Aberra Molla notes, because of the difference between the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church regarding the determination of the date of the creation of the world. According to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the world was created 5,500 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. Accordingly, it is now 2,000 years since Jesus Christ was born while it is 7,500 years since the creation of the world.

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