Resources Ethiopian Calendar
Ethiopian Calendar
Thirteen months, the holidays that fall in them, the ባሕረ ሐሳብ computus behind the movable feasts, and a clock that keeps Ethiopian hours.
Today
መስከረም 24, 2019
Meskerem 24, 2019 E.C.
= Sunday, 4 October 2026 Gregorian
Time in Ethiopia
EAT counted from dawn
10:05:44afternoonመስከረም 2019
Meskerem 2019 E.C.
11 Sep10 Oct 2026
holidaySelect a day for its full date, holidays and saints.
Holidays this month
- EnkutatashእንቁጣጣሽMeskerem 1
- MeskelመስቀልMeskerem 17
Saints of the month
In the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar these commemorations fall on the same day of every month, so the list below holds for መስከረም as it does for any other.
Day 1
- Birth of the Holy Virgin Maryልደታ
- Elijahኤልያስ
Day 2
- Thaddiusታድዮስ
Day 3
- Presentation of the Holy Virgin to the Temple of Jerusalemቤተ
Day 4
- John Son of Thunderዮሐንስ ወልደ ነጎድጓድ
Day 5
- Peter and Paulጴጥሮስ እና ጳውሎስ
- Gebre Menfes Kiddusገብረ መንፈስ ቅዱስ
Day 6
- Our Lady of Qusquamእመቤታችን ቅድስት ድንግል ማርያም ዘቊስቋም
Day 7
- Holy Trinity Dayሥላሴ
Day 8
- Cyrusኪሮስ
- Abba Banudaአባ ባኑዳ
Day 9
- Thomas (not the Apostle)ቶማስ
Day 10
- Feast of the Holy Crossቅዱስ መስቀል
Day 11
- St. Anne and St. Joachimሐና ወኢያቄም
- Fasilidesፋሲለደስ
Day 12
- Michael the Archangelቅዱስ ሚካኤል
- Samuelሳሙኤል
- Yaredያሬድ
Day 13
- Feast of God the Fatherየእግዚአብሔር አብ
- Raphael the Archangelቅዱስ ሩፋኤል
Day 14
- Abuna Aregawiአቡነ አረጋዊ
- Gebre Kristosገብረ ክርስቶስ
Day 15
- Cyricus and Julittaቂርቆስ እና እናቱ ኢየሉጣ
Day 16
- Our Lady Covenant of Mercyኪዳነ ምሕረት
Day 17
- Stephen the Martyrቅዱስ እስጢፋኖስ
- Abba Gerimaአባ ገሪማ
Day 18
- Ewostatewosእውስታቴዎስ
Day 19
- Gabriel the Archangelቅዱስ ገብርኤል
Day 20
- Hnstataህንጽተታ
Day 21
- Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of Godቅድስት ድንግል ማርያም
Day 22
- Deqsiusደቅስዮስ
Day 23
- Saint Georgeቅዱስ ጊዮርጊስ
Day 24
- Abune Tekle Haymanotአቡነ ተክለ ሃይማኖት
Day 25
- Saint Mercuriusመርቆሬዎስ
Day 26
- Thomas the Apostleሐዋርያው ቶማስ
Day 27
- Savior of the Worldመድኃኔ ዓለም
Day 28
- Immanuelአማኑኤል
Day 29
- Feast of God the Sonባዕለ ወልድ
Day 30
- Mark the Evangelistማርቆስ
Holidays of 2019 E.C.
23 of 23
Enkutatash
እንቁጣጣሽ
መስከረም 1, 2019
Friday, 11 September 2026
Ethiopian New Year, on the first of Meskerem. It falls as the long rains end and the highlands turn yellow with meskel daisies.
PublicCulturalMeskel
መስቀል
መስከረም 17, 2019
Sunday, 27 September 2026
Marks the finding of the True Cross. The Demera bonfire is lit the evening before; the festival is on the UNESCO intangible heritage list.
PublicChristianNations and Nationalities Day
የብሔር ብሔረሰቦች ቀን
ኅዳር 20, 2019
Sunday, 29 November 2026
Marks the 1995 constitution and its recognition of Ethiopia’s many peoples. The host region changes each year.
PublicStateGenna
ገና
ታኅሳስ 29, 2019
Thursday, 7 January 2027
Ethiopian Christmas, on Tahsas 29. Traditionally marked with an all-night church service and a field game of the same name.
PublicChristianTimkat
ጥምቀት
ጥር 11, 2019
Tuesday, 19 January 2027
Epiphany, and the largest festival of the year. The tabot is carried out in procession and the crowd is blessed with water at dawn.
PublicChristianMartyrs’ Day
የሰማዕታት ቀን
የካቲት 12, 2019
Friday, 19 February 2027
Remembers the Ethiopians killed in the Addis Ababa massacre of February 1937, during the Italian occupation.
PublicStateFast of Nineveh
ጾመ ነነዌ
የካቲት 15, 2019
Monday, 22 February 2027
A three-day fast recalling the repentance of the people of Nineveh. It opens the season that leads to Great Lent.
MovableChristianAdwa Victory Day
የአድዋ ድል በዓል
የካቲት 23, 2019
Tuesday, 2 March 2027
Marks the defeat of the invading Italian army at Adwa in 1896, which kept Ethiopia independent through the scramble for Africa.
PublicStateGreat Lent
ዐቢይ ጾም
የካቲት 29, 2019
Monday, 8 March 2027
The fifty-five day fast before Fasika, the longest of the Orthodox fasting seasons.
MovableChristianEid al-Fitr
ዒድ አል ፈጥር
የካቲት 30, 2019
Tuesday, 9 March 2027
The feast that ends Ramadan. Set by the lunar Hijri calendar, so it moves through the Ethiopian year.
MovablePublicMuslimDebre Zeit
ደብረ ዘይት
መጋቢት 26, 2019
Sunday, 4 April 2027
The midpoint of Great Lent, named for the Mount of Olives and the teaching Christ gave there.
MovableChristianHosanna
ሆሳዕና
ሚያዝያ 17, 2019
Sunday, 25 April 2027
Palm Sunday, a week before Fasika. Woven palm fronds are given out at the church door.
MovableChristianSiklet
ስቅለት
ሚያዝያ 22, 2019
Friday, 30 April 2027
Good Friday, kept as a strict fast and a long day of prostrations in church.
MovableChristianPublicInternational Labour Day
የሰራተኞች ቀን
ሚያዝያ 23, 2019
Saturday, 1 May 2027
The first of May, marked in Ethiopia as in most of the world.
PublicStateFasika
ፋሲካ
ሚያዝያ 24, 2019
Sunday, 2 May 2027
Easter, and the end of the fifty-five day fast — the most important feast in the Ethiopian Orthodox year.
MovablePublicChristianPatriots’ Victory Day
የአርበኞች ቀን
ሚያዝያ 27, 2019
Wednesday, 5 May 2027
Marks the end of the Italian occupation in 1941 and honours the arbegnoch who fought through it.
PublicStateEid al-Adha
ዒድ አል አድሐ
ግንቦት 8, 2019
Sunday, 16 May 2027
The feast of the sacrifice, at the close of the Hajj.
MovablePublicMuslimRikbe Kahnat
ርክበ ካህናት
ግንቦት 18, 2019
Wednesday, 26 May 2027
The commemoration of the Council of Nicaea, falling midway between Fasika and Pentecost.
MovableChristianErget
ዕርገት
ሰኔ 3, 2019
Thursday, 10 June 2027
The Ascension, forty days after Fasika.
MovableChristianParaclete
ጰራቅሊጦስ
ሰኔ 13, 2019
Sunday, 20 June 2027
Pentecost, fifty days after Fasika, marking the descent of the Holy Spirit.
MovableChristianFast of the Apostles
ጾመ ሐዋርያት
ሰኔ 14, 2019
Monday, 21 June 2027
Begins the day after Pentecost and runs until the feast of Peter and Paul.
MovableChristianFast of Salvation
ጾመ ድኅነት
ሰኔ 16, 2019
Wednesday, 23 June 2027
The Wednesday and Friday fast, resumed after Pentecost and kept through most of the year.
MovableChristianMawlid
መውሊድ
ነሐሴ 8, 2019
Saturday, 14 August 2027
The birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, marked with processions and readings.
MovablePublicMuslim
ባሕረ ሐሳብ — Bahire Hasab
The reckoning the Ethiopian Orthodox Church uses to place Fasika and every feast that hangs off it. Give it a year and it returns the figures the computation runs on.
Amete Alem
7519
Years since creation in the Ethiopian reckoning — the Ethiopian year plus 5,500.
Metene Rabiet
1879
A quarter of Amete Alem: the leap days accumulated since creation.
Medeb
14
Position in the nineteen-year lunar cycle — the remainder of Amete Alem divided by 19.
Wenber
13
Medeb less one. The epacts below are built on it.
Abektie
23
The solar epact — how far the solar year has run ahead of the lunar one.
Metqi
7
The lunar epact, the complement of Abektie. It places the first new moon of the year.
Evangelist
Lukeሉቃስ
The gospel writer the year is named for — Amete Alem divided by four, remainder 3.
New year falls on
Fridayዓርብ
Tinte Qemer 4 — the offset that fixes which weekday the year opens on.
Movable feasts and fasts
Fast of Nineveh
ጾመ ነነዌ
የካቲት 15, 2019
Monday, 22 February 2027
Great Lent
ዐቢይ ጾም
የካቲት 29, 2019
Monday, 8 March 2027
Debre Zeit
ደብረ ዘይት
መጋቢት 26, 2019
Sunday, 4 April 2027
Hosanna
ሆሳዕና
ሚያዝያ 17, 2019
Sunday, 25 April 2027
Siklet
ስቅለት
ሚያዝያ 22, 2019
Friday, 30 April 2027
Fasika
ፋሲካ
ሚያዝያ 24, 2019
Sunday, 2 May 2027
Rikbe Kahnat
ርክበ ካህናት
ግንቦት 18, 2019
Wednesday, 26 May 2027
Erget
ዕርገት
ሰኔ 3, 2019
Thursday, 10 June 2027
Paraclete
ጰራቅሊጦስ
ሰኔ 13, 2019
Sunday, 20 June 2027
Fast of the Apostles
ጾመ ሐዋርያት
ሰኔ 14, 2019
Monday, 21 June 2027
Fast of Salvation
ጾመ ድኅነት
ሰኔ 16, 2019
Wednesday, 23 June 2027
Ethiopian clock
Both clocks below show Addis Ababa, wherever you are reading from — Ethiopia keeps EAT (UTC+3) all year and has never used daylight saving.
The Ethiopian day begins at sunrise, not at midnight. Six in the morning sits at the top of the clock, so what a western watch calls 7am is one o'clock here, noon is six, and at 6pm the twelve begin again. The day is named in four six-hour parts rather than am and pm — which is why 9am is 3 ጠዋት and 9pm is 3 ማታ, the same numeral told apart by the part of the day it sits in.
Ethiopian system
Counted from dawn
10:05:42
12-hour format
Period of dayafternoonከሰዓት
Western system
EAT UTC+3
16:05:42
24-hour format
04:05:42 PM
12-hour format
| Part of the day | Gregorian | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ጠዋትmorning | 6am to noon | 12 to 5 |
| ከሰዓትafternoon | noon to 6pm | 6 to 11 |
| ማታevening | 6pm to midnight | 12 to 5 |
| ለሊትnight | midnight to 6am | 6 to 11 |
Dates and holidays are computed with kenat. Movable feasts follow the Ethiopian Orthodox computus and may differ from other reckonings.