Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year, is a lavish cultural celebration that honors the country’s lengthy past. Ethiopia still preserves the majority of its customs and culture because it was spared colonization by other nations. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian calendar are closely related. The ancient Coptic and Julian calendars are the sources of the Ethiopian calendar. The method used to determine the birth year of Jesus Christ is the primary distinction between the Ethiopian and the Gregorian calendars, which are now in use. The dates of Christ’s birth are different according to the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar and the Gregorian calendar. The Ethiopian Orthodox calendar dates it seven or eight years after the Gregorian calendar, which dates it between the years 1 B.C. and 1 A.D. The solar calendar used in Ethiopia consists of 12 months (30 days each) plus an extra month called Pagumđ (which has five or six days during leap years). A month contains 365 days as well. But it’s the New Year, and Meskerem 1 is where Enkutatash is. On a Gregorian calendar, this is typically around September 11 or September 12. The day coincides with the conclusion of Ethiopia’s rainy season when flowers start to grow again. It’s always a cause for celebration. Ethiopian timekeeping differs greatly from global timekeeping. Instead of midnight at 12 AM, the day starts at 6:00 AM. The day begins at 6:00 AM and ends at 18:00 AM, with two 12-hour segments.
