Ethiopian Calendar Guide
Ethiopia uses the Ge'ez calendar, which has 13 months, a different New Year, and a unique time-keeping system. It runs approximately 7–8 years behind the Gregorian calendar.
The 13 Months
| # | Ge'ez | Romanized | Gregorian Equivalent | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | መስከረም | Meskerem | Sep 11 – Oct 10 | 30 |
| 2 | ጥቅምት | Tikimt | Oct 11 – Nov 9 | 30 |
| 3 | ህዳር | Hidar | Nov 10 – Dec 9 | 30 |
| 4 | ታህሳስ | Tahsas | Dec 10 – Jan 8 | 30 |
| 5 | ጥር | Tir | Jan 9 – Feb 7 | 30 |
| 6 | የካቲት | Yekatit | Feb 8 – Mar 9 | 30 |
| 7 | መጋቢት | Megabit | Mar 10 – Apr 8 | 30 |
| 8 | ሚያዚያ | Miazia | Apr 9 – May 8 | 30 |
| 9 | ግንቦት | Ginbot | May 9 – Jun 7 | 30 |
| 10 | ሰኔ | Sene | Jun 8 – Jul 7 | 30 |
| 11 | ሐምሌ | Hamle | Jul 8 – Aug 6 | 30 |
| 12 | ነሐሴ | Nehase | Aug 7 – Sep 5 | 30 |
| 13 | ጳጉሜ | Pagume | Sep 6 – Sep 10 | 5 / 6 |
Dates are approximate — Ethiopian months begin on fixed Gregorian dates that shift ±1 day in Gregorian leap years.
Days of the Week (የሳምንቱ ቀናት)
| Amharic | Romanized | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| እሁድ | Ehud | Sunday | First day of the Ethiopian week |
| ሰኞ | Segno | Monday | |
| ማክሰኞ | Maksegno | Tuesday | |
| ረቡዕ | Rebu | Wednesday | |
| ሐሙስ | Hamus | Thursday | |
| አርብ | Arb | Friday | |
| ቅዳሜ | Kidame | Saturday | Sabbath day in Ethiopian Orthodox Church |
Ethiopian Time System (የኢትዮጵያ ሰዓት)
Ethiopian time is offset by 6 hours from standard (12-hour clock) time.
Hour 1 in Ethiopian time starts at 6:00 AM (sunrise), not midnight. The day is divided into two 12-hour cycles: daytime (ቀን ke'en) and night (ሌሊት lelit).
Tip: To convert Ethiopian time to standard time, add 6 hours. To convert standard to Ethiopian, subtract 6 hours.
New Year — Enkutatash (እንቁጣጣሽ)
Ethiopian New Year falls on September 11 (Gregorian) — or September 12 in Gregorian leap years. It marks the start of መስከረም (Meskerem) and the end of the rainy season.
Children traditionally exchange flowers and sing songs; families wear new clothes and celebrate with festive meals.
Pagume — The 13th Month (ጳጉሜ)
Pagume is the intercalary month with only 5 days (6 in Ethiopian leap years). It falls at the end of the Ethiopian year, bridging August and September.
In Ethiopian tradition, Pagume is considered a special transitional period. There is a saying: "ጳጉሜ ሌላ ዓለም ነው" — "Pagume is another world."
Ethiopian Public Holidays
| Holiday | English | Gregorian Date |
|---|---|---|
| ዘመን መለወጫ (እንቁጣጣሽ) | Ethiopian New Year | September 11 (Sep 12 in Gregorian leap years) |
| መስቀል | Finding of the True Cross | September 27 |
| ጥምቀት | Epiphany (Timkat) | January 19 (Jan 20 in Gregorian leap years) |
| ፋሲካ | Easter (Fasika) | Variable — Ethiopian Orthodox date |
| ኢትዮጵያ አዲስ ዓመት | Ethiopian Christmas (Genna) | January 7 |
| አድዋ ድል | Victory of Adwa | March 2 |
| ዓለም አቀፍ የሠራተኞች ቀን | International Workers' Day | May 1 |
| ኢትዮጵያ ብሔራዊ ቀን | Ethiopian National Day | May 28 |
Quick Year Conversion
The Ethiopian calendar is 7 years and ~8 months behind the Gregorian calendar:
Use the Date Converter tool for precise Gregorian ↔ Ethiopian date conversion.
About the Ethiopian Calendar
The Ethiopian calendar (የኢትዮጵያ ዘመን አቆጣጠር) is a solar calendar based on the ancient Coptic calendar of Egypt, itself derived from the Egyptian civil calendar. It has 13 months — 12 months of 30 days each and a 13th month called Pagume (ጳጉሜ) of 5 or 6 days. The Ethiopian calendar runs approximately 7 years and 8 months behind the Gregorian calendar because it uses a different calculation for the birth year of Jesus Christ. Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash / እንቁጣጣሽ) falls on Meskerem 1 — September 11 in non-leap years and September 12 in Gregorian leap years. Ethiopia is one of the only countries in the world still using this calendar system for official and civil purposes.