It’s currently 2019 in Ethiopia 🇪🇹.

Happy new year to all Ethiopians, it’s now 2019 on the Ethiopian calendar

መልካም አዲስ አመት!

(This Amharic is from my Ethiopian friend Tsegazeab)

May Time and Chance smile on you this year!

Context to the unfamiliar reader

While much of the world is deep into 2026 on the Gregorian calendar, Ethiopia (and Eritrea) is celebrating the start of a brand-new year: Meskerem 1, 2019.

Why September?

Ethiopia follows its own ancient calendar, closely related to the Coptic and Julian systems, with 12 months of 30 days plus a short 13th month called Pagume. As a result, the Ethiopian year runs roughly 7–8 years behind the Western one. New Year’s Day falls on 11 September (or 12 September in the year after an Ethiopian leap year).

The timing is beautifully intentional. It marks the end of the long kiremt rainy season. The skies clear, the highlands turn lush green, and bright yellow daisies known as Adey Abeba (the Meskel daisy) blanket the countryside. These flowers have become the living symbol of renewal, hope, and the arrival of spring.

The meaning of “Enkutatash”

The name Enkutatash (እንቁጣጣሽ) is usually translated as “gift of jewels.” According to Ethiopian tradition, it commemorates the return of the Queen of Sheba (Makeda) from her legendary visit to King Solomon. When she arrived home, her chiefs welcomed her by replenishing her treasury with jewels (enku).

How it’s celebrated

• Families attend church services in the morning.
• Homes are cleaned and decorated with fresh grass and Adey Abeba flowers.
• A special meal — often featuring doro wat (spicy chicken stew) with injera — is shared.
• Children (especially young girls in new clothes) go door to door carrying bouquets of yellow daisies, singing traditional New Year songs such as “Abebayehoy,” and exchanging greetings and small gifts.
• Coffee ceremonies, visits to relatives and friends, and a general atmosphere of gratitude and fresh beginnings fill the day.

Enkutatash is both a religious and a cultural celebration — a moment of reflection, forgiveness, and looking forward with optimism.

Wishing everyone a joyful, peaceful, and prosperous Ethiopian New Year. May 2019 bring health, abundance, and happiness to all across Ethiopia and the diaspora.

መልካም አዲስ ዓመት!
Happy Enkutatash!