In Ethiopia and Eritrea, Enkutatash falls on the same day as the New Year as a public holiday. On the Ethiopian calendar, it takes place on Meskerem 1, which corresponds to September 11 on the Gregorian calendar. Ethiopian legend has it that on September 11, Queen of Sheba (also known as Makeda in Ethiopian) traveled to King Solomon in Jerusalem and then returned to Ethiopia. Her supporters presented her with jewelry to mark her return. Consequently, “Enkutatash” means “the gift of diamonds.” The Ethiopian calendar is the foundation for this festival. It’s the new year in Ethiopia. Around the nation, there are large festivities, especially at the Ragual Church on Entoto mountain.
In Culture Parent claims “Families congregate to eat a traditional lunch of injera (flat bread) and wat after attending church in the morning (sauce). Later in the day, young girls dressed in new attire collect daisies and give pals bouquets while singing New Year’s carols.” The Ethiopian Tourism Commission claims that “Enkutatash is a secular celebration as much as a religious one. Modern Enkutatash is also the time of year when metropolitan affluent people exchange formal new year wishes and cards rather than the customary bunch of flowers.” The eighth year of the common era marks the start of the Ethiopian calendar. This is due to the fact that the common period used calculations from a 6th-century monk named Dionysius, whilst non-Chalcedonian nations continued to use calculations from a 5th-century monk named Annius that put the Annunciation of Christ exactly 8 years later. As a result, the Ethiopian calendar changed the year 2016 (which corresponds to the Gregorian year 2016) to 2009 on Enkutatash.
