Ethiopia is seven or eight years "behind" because it uses its own calendar, which counts the years from a different date for the Incarnation of Jesus. So if you land in Addis Ababa in late 2026 you may see receipts, newspapers or official forms dated 2019. Nobody has made a mistake: on 11 September 2026 Ethiopia celebrated the start of its year 2019.

It is not just a church curiosity. The Ethiopian calendar is the country's official civil calendar, used by government and in daily life, while the Gregorian calendar is used alongside it for international business and travel. Here is how it works and what it means for your trip.

For visitors the two calendars mostly matter when you're planning dates: holidays, bookings and pickups. When you book with Ethiopia Driver, a family-run private driver service in Addis Ababa, we confirm every hotel, flight and pickup in the Gregorian calendar you're used to, so nothing gets lost in translation.

Why is the Ethiopian calendar seven or eight years behind?

Both calendars count years from the Incarnation of Jesus, but they use different calculations for when it happened. The Ethiopian and Eritrean churches follow a reckoning worked out by Annianus of Alexandria around AD 400. Most of the world follows the later calculation of Dionysius Exiguus, a monk writing in AD 525, which puts the Annunciation several years earlier. That difference in starting points is why the year numbers differ.

Because the Ethiopian year starts in September, not January, the gap changes during the year:

• From Ethiopian New Year in September to 31 December, the Ethiopian year is seven years behind. On 28 September 2026 it is 2019.
• From 1 January to the next New Year in September, it is eight years behind. In June 2027 it is still 2019.

So the Ethiopian year 2019 (written 2019 E.C., for Ethiopian Calendar) runs from 11 September 2026 to 11 September 2027.

How can a year have 13 months?

The Ethiopian calendar has twelve months of exactly 30 days each, which makes 360 days. The remaining five days, or six in a leap year, form a short thirteenth month called Pagume (also spelled Pagumen) at the end of the year, just before New Year. That is where the old tourism slogan "13 months of sunshine" comes from.

The calendar is closely related to the Coptic calendar of Egypt and, like the old Julian calendar, adds a leap day every four years without exception. That is also why Ethiopian Christmas (Genna) falls on 7 January rather than 25 December.

What are the Ethiopian months?

In a normal year the months start on roughly these Gregorian dates. Around leap years they can shift by a day, so always check a converter for anything important.

• Meskerem: 11 September (New Year, Enkutatash, is 1 Meskerem)
• Tikimt: 11 October
• Hidar: 10 November
• Tahsas: 10 December
• Tir: 9 January
• Yekatit: 8 February
• Megabit: 10 March
• Miyazya: 9 April
• Ginbot: 9 May
• Sene: 8 June
• Hamle: 8 July
• Nehase: 7 August
• Pagume: 6 September (five or six days)

How do Ethiopian leap years work?

Every fourth year Pagume gets a sixth day. This extra day falls in the Ethiopian year that ends just before a Gregorian leap year, so in those years Ethiopian New Year moves from 11 to 12 September. Traditionally each year in the four-year cycle is named after an evangelist: John, Matthew, Mark and then Luke, the year with the extra day.

How do you convert an Ethiopian date?

For the year, add seven if the Ethiopian date falls between 1 Meskerem and about 22 Tahsas (September to 31 December), and add eight if it falls between then and the end of Pagume (January to early September). For the day, find the month's Gregorian start date in the list above and count forward.

Example: 11 Tir 2019 is Timkat. Tir begins around 9 January, and it falls in the January-to-September part of the year, so add eight to 2019. That gives 19 January 2027, which matches the published holiday date. Free online converters do this instantly and handle leap years for you; use one for anything that matters, like a visa date or a booking.

Which holidays follow the Ethiopian calendar?

Most national and Christian holidays are fixed in the Ethiopian calendar, which is why their Gregorian dates look unusual. Enkutatash is on 1 Meskerem (11 September 2026, 12 September 2027), Meskel on 17 Meskerem (27 September 2026, 28 September 2027), Genna on 29 Tahsas (Thursday 7 January 2027) and Timkat on 11 Tir (Tuesday 19 January 2027). Fasika, Ethiopian Easter, moves each year; in 2027 it falls on 2 May.

Enkutatash falls at the end of the main rainy season, when yellow adey abeba daisies bloom on the hillsides. Its name is usually translated as "gift of jewels", from a tradition that the Queen of Sheba's followers welcomed her home from Jerusalem with jewels.

What does the Ethiopian calendar mean for travellers?

1. Check which calendar a date uses. Flight tickets and international hotel bookings use the Gregorian calendar. Government documents, local newspapers and many local receipts use the Ethiopian one. If a date looks seven or eight years off, that is why.
2. Confirm dates in writing. When arranging something locally, write the date with the month name, for example 15 January 2027, so there is no confusion between systems. We do this for every booking we make for you.
3. Watch for holidays. Offices, banks and many shops close on public holidays, and Ethiopian New Year is a poor time for official meetings. Look up the Gregorian dates for your trip.
4. Don't confuse the calendar with the clock. Ethiopia also has its own way of telling the time, starting the count at dawn. That is a separate system; our guide to Ethiopian time explains it.

In practice, most people you deal with as a traveller, from airline staff to hotel receptionists, switch between the two systems without effort. Asking "Is that the Ethiopian date?" is perfectly normal.

Holidays are also when getting around Addis takes the most planning. Around Enkutatash, Meskel, Genna and Timkat, streets near churches and squares fill up and roads close for celebrations. A driver by the day who knows the city takes you to the celebrations, drops you as close as the crowds allow and picks you up afterwards. If you're flying in for a festival, we can also book your hotel in birr as part of your trip, and you pay us one amount in dollars.