Ethiopian calendar facts for kids

The Ethiopian calendar is the main way people keep track of dates in Ethiopia. It's also used by many Christian churches in Ethiopia and Eritrea for their religious events. This calendar is a solar calendar, meaning it follows the sun. It's similar to the ancient Egyptian calendar. Like the Julian calendar, it adds an extra day, called a leap day, every four years. The Ethiopian New Year usually starts on August 29 or 30 in the Julian calendar. Because of a different way of counting years, the Ethiopian calendar is about seven or eight years behind the Gregorian calendar used in most of the world.

How the Ethiopian Calendar Works

The Ethiopian calendar has 12 months. Each month has 30 days. There is also a special 13th month. This extra month has five or six days. These extra days are called epagomenal days.

Months and Leap Years

The names of the days in the Ethiopian calendar are in the Ge'ez language. Every four years, an extra day is added to the 13th month. This makes the 13th month have six days instead of five. This extra day happens on August 29 in the Julian calendar.

The first day of the Ethiopian year is called 1 Mäskäräm. For years between 1900 and 2099, this day is usually September 11 in the Gregorian calendar. However, in years before a Gregorian leap year, it falls on September 12. So, the Ethiopian New Year is usually on September 11. On leap years, it is on September 12.

History of the Calendar

Most of the Christian world changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1582. However, Ethiopia did not make this change. Because of this, Ethiopia is about seven years and eight months behind countries that use the Gregorian calendar. This means holidays like Christmas and Easter are celebrated on different dates in Ethiopia than in many other places.

For Travelers and Tourists

If you visit Ethiopia, you might notice something interesting. Places like banks and airlines often use the Gregorian calendar. This helps them work with people from other countries. But in most other places, like local shops and everyday life, the Ethiopian calendar is used. This can sometimes be a little confusing for tourists!

Images for kids

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  A building in downtown Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, sports bunting in the Ethiopian national colors of green, yellow and red to mark the Ethiopian Millennium on 11 September 2007.

See also

In Spanish: Calendario etíope para niños