Ethiopian Calendar Facts For Kids

The Ethiopian calendar is Ethiopia's official civil calendar, used by Ethiopians and communities worldwide to track years and holidays and by churches for feasts.

Select reading age

Go deeper More articles

Videos & Quizzesincluded

About this topic

Ethiopian calendar is the special way people in Ethiopia keep track of years and holidays. It is the official civil calendar of Ethiopia, and many people in Eritrea and Ethiopian and Eritrean communities around the world also follow it. Churches in Ethiopia and Eritrea—like the Orthodox and other Christian groups—use this calendar for their religious feasts and services, too.

The calendar looks different from the one you may know (the Gregorian calendar). It has its own months and a different way to count years. Because of these differences, dates and the year number do not match the Gregorian calendar.

Explore with ChatDino

Quick Facts

🗓️The Ethiopian calendar has 13 months: 12 of 30 days each plus a short Pagume month of 5 or 6 days.

⏳Leap years happen every four years, adding a sixth day to Pagumen.

🎉The Ethiopian New Year is Enkutatash in Amharic and Kudus Yohannes in Ge'ez and Tigrinya.

📅Enkutatash usually falls on September 11, but on September 12 in leap-year-adjacent years.

🗓️The first day of the year is 1 Mäskäräm, usually September 11 in the Gregorian calendar.

🕰️The Ethiopian calendar's epoch lines up with August 29, 8 AD in the Julian calendar.

Key Points

The Ethiopian New Year is a bright holiday with songs and celebrations.

The main way Ethiopians count years is called the Incarnation Era.

Before the Incarnation Era was common, another counting system was used called the Era of Martyrs, also known as the Diocletian Era.

leap year in the Ethiopian calendar happens every four years, and the rule is very simple: there are no exceptions.

The Ethiopian year has twelve months that are each thirty days long, plus a tiny thirteenth month called Pagume.

📘 New Year's Day

The Ethiopian New Year is a bright holiday with songs and celebrations. In Amharic it is called Enkutatash, which means “gift of jewels.” In Geʽez and Tigrinya it is called Kudus Yohannes. The holiday usually falls on 11 September in the Gregorian calendar. In years when the Gregorian calendar has a leap day, Ethiopian New Year falls on 12 September instead.

This New Year is linked to a church feast called El-Nayrouz, and it moves into September on the Gregorian calendar. Families often gather, give small gifts, and enjoy music and dancing to welcome the new year.

Go deeper

🔎 Counting Years — The Incarnation Era

The main way Ethiopians count years is called the Incarnation Era. This system starts from a date that marks the Annunciation and birth of Jesus, as calculated long ago. A scholar named Annianus of Alexandria worked this out around the year 400 and set the starting point on old calendars.

Because the Incarnation Era begins on a different older date and the Ethiopian year starts in September, the Ethiopian year number is not the same as the Gregorian year. For part of the Gregorian year the Ethiopian number is eight years less, and after September it becomes seven years less.

Go deeper

🧭 Earlier Era — The Era Of Martyrs

Before the Incarnation Era was common, another counting system was used called the Era of Martyrs, also known as the Diocletian Era. This era started long ago, with its first year beginning on 29 October 328. It was named for a time when many Christians suffered for their beliefs, and the name remembers those people in a respectful way.

The Era of Martyrs was used widely in eastern Christian lands for many centuries. Today, it is still kept alive in some places, such as the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt, which uses it for some of its church records and dates.

Go deeper

💡 Leap Year Cycle

leap year in the Ethiopian calendar happens every four years, and the rule is very simple: there are no exceptions. In a leap year the short thirteenth month, Pagume, has six days instead of five. That extra day helps the calendar stay in step with the seasons so harvests and holidays happen at the right times.

People also name years in a four-year pattern after the four Gospel writers: John, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The year named for Luke is the one that includes the extra day. Because the rule is always “every four years,” it is easy to predict when the next leap year will come.

Go deeper

🌟 Months

The Ethiopian year has twelve months that are each thirty days long, plus a tiny thirteenth month called Pagume. Most years Pagume has five days, and in a leap year it has six. Together the months add up so the calendar matches the cycle of the sun and the seasons.

Month names are from the old language Geʽez, and the Ethiopian months begin on the same days used by the Coptic calendar. For people who want to match Ethiopian months to our modern Gregorian dates, simple tables are used for recent years, but the exact matching can slide a little when looking across very long spans of centuries because of how leap days fall.

Go deeper

🧠 Take the Quiz about Ethiopian Calendar

Question 1 of 5

What is the name of the calendar that Ethiopians use to keep track of years and holidays?

Question 2 of 5

Why does Ethiopian New Year sometimes fall on September 12?

Question 3 of 5

What is the main way Ethiopians count years called?

Question 4 of 5

Which month gets an extra day in a leap year in the Ethiopian calendar?

Question 5 of 5

What is the name of the Ethiopian calendar's thirteenth month?

Your results

Answer all 5 questions to see how you did.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Ethiopian calendar and who uses it?

The Ethiopian calendar is the official civil calendar of Ethiopia. It is also followed by many people in Eritrea and Ethiopian/Eritrean communities around the world, and churches in Ethiopia and Eritrea use it for religious feasts and services.

How is the Ethiopian calendar different from the Gregorian calendar?

It has its own months and a different way to count years, so dates and year numbers do not match the Gregorian calendar.

When is Ethiopian New Year and what is it called?

The Ethiopian New Year is called Enkutatash in Amharic (gift of jewels) and Kudus Yohannes in Ge'ez and Tigrinya. It usually falls on September 11 in the Gregorian calendar, but on September 12 in leap years; it is linked to the El-Nayrouz church feast, and families gather, give small gifts, and enjoy music and dancing to welcome the new year.

What is the Incarnation Era and why is the Ethiopian year different from the Gregorian year?

The Incarnation Era is the main way Ethiopians count years. It starts from the Annunciation and birth of Jesus, based on an old calculation by Annianus of Alexandria around the year 400; because it begins on a different date and the year starts in September, the Ethiopian year number does not match the Gregorian year (it's eight years less for part of the year and seven years less after September).

What was the Era of Martyrs?

The Era of Martyrs, also called the Diocletian Era, began in 328. It was widely used in eastern Christian lands for centuries and is still kept in some places, like the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt, for church records and dates.

How does the leap year cycle work in the Ethiopian calendar?

Leap year happens every four years with no exceptions. In a leap year the short thirteenth month Pagume has six days instead of five, and the extra day helps the calendar stay in step with the seasons; the year named for Luke includes that extra day.