What Is the Ethiopian Ge'ez Calendar?
The Ethiopian calendar (also called the Ge'ez calendar or Ethiopic calendar) is a solar calendar derived from the ancient Egyptian Coptic calendar. Unlike most of the world, which uses the Gregorian calendar, Ethiopia has maintained its own timekeeping system that runs approximately 7 years and 8 months behind the Gregorian calendar.
This means that while the rest of the world celebrated the year 2024, Ethiopia was in the Ethiopian year 2016/2017. This difference isn't an error — it stems from a different calculation of when Jesus Christ was born, used by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
The Ethiopian calendar is the official civil calendar of Ethiopia and is widely used alongside the Gregorian calendar for both religious and civic purposes in Eritrea.
The 13 Months of the Ethiopian Calendar
The most distinctive feature of the Ethiopian calendar is its 13-month structure. Twelve months each have exactly 30 days, and the thirteenth month — called Pagume (ጳጉሜን) — has either 5 days (in a regular year) or 6 days (in a leap year).
The Ethiopian months and their approximate Gregorian equivalents are:
- Meskerem (መስከረም) — September/October (New Year month)
- Tikimt (ጥቅምት) — October/November
- Hidar (ኅዳር) — November/December
- Tahsas (ታኅሣሥ) — December/January
- Tir (ጥር) — January/February
- Yakatit (የካቲት) — February/March
- Megabit (መጋቢት) — March/April
- Miyazya (ሚያዝያ) — April/May
- Ginbot (ግንቦት) — May/June
- Sene (ሰኔ) — June/July
- Hamle (ሐምሌ) — July/August
- Nehase (ነሐሴ) — August/September
- Pagume (ጳጉሜን) — 5 or 6 days, September
Ethiopian New Year: Enkutatash
The Ethiopian New Year, called Enkutatash (እንቁጣጣሽ), falls on 1 Meskerem, which corresponds to September 11th in the Gregorian calendar (September 12th in a Gregorian leap year). This is one of the most celebrated holidays in Ethiopia and Eritrea, marked by singing, flowers, and gathering with family.
The word "Enkutatash" means "gift of jewels" in Amharic, referring to the gifts the Queen of Sheba brought back from her visit to King Solomon.
How to Convert Ethiopian Dates to Gregorian
Converting between the Ethiopian and Gregorian calendars involves a few steps. The basic formula for converting an Ethiopian date to Gregorian is:
- Ethiopian years from 1 Meskerem (Sept 11) to December 31: Add 7 to the Ethiopian year
- Ethiopian years from January 1 to Nehase 30 (Sept 10): Add 8 to the Ethiopian year
- Each Ethiopian month corresponds to a fixed Gregorian month range (see the table above)
For example: 1 Meskerem 2017 (Ethiopian) = September 11, 2024 (Gregorian).
Rather than calculating manually, you can use our free Ethiopian Calendar Converter tool to convert any date instantly, or download the Geez Calendar app for offline access on iOS and Android.
Ethiopian Leap Year (Qemer)
The Ethiopian calendar follows a 4-year leap cycle similar to the Gregorian calendar. Every 4 years, the month of Pagume gets an extra day, making it 6 days instead of 5. Ethiopian leap years always fall one year before Gregorian leap years. For example, 2023 (Ethiopian 2015) was an Ethiopian leap year.
Ethiopian Holidays on the Calendar
Many important Ethiopian and Eritrean holidays follow the Ge'ez calendar. Key dates include:
- Enkutatash — 1 Meskerem (Ethiopian New Year, Sept 11)
- Meskel (Finding of the True Cross) — 17 Meskerem (Sept 27)
- Christmas (Genna) — 29 Tahsas (January 7)
- Timkat (Epiphany) — 11 Tir (January 19/20)
- Easter (Fasika) — Variable date in Miyazya or Ginbot
The Ethiopian Calendar in Daily Life Today
In Ethiopia, both the Ethiopian and Gregorian calendars are used side by side. Government offices, schools, and businesses often use both systems. Ethiopians in the diaspora use the Ethiopian calendar for religious observances and cultural celebrations, while navigating the Gregorian calendar in their host countries.
Digital tools have made it much easier to work with both calendars. The Geez Calendar app provides a full monthly calendar view, holiday reminders, and date conversion — all offline. You can also use the free calendar tools on this site.
Ethiopia is sometimes called "the land of 13 months of sunshine" — a phrase celebrating both its unique calendar and its year-round good weather.
Common Questions About the Ethiopian Calendar
Why is Ethiopia 7–8 years behind? The difference comes from an alternative calculation of the year of Christ's birth used by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, compared to the calculation used when the Gregorian calendar was established.
Is the Ethiopian calendar the same as the Coptic calendar? They are closely related — both descended from the ancient Egyptian calendar — but differ slightly. The Coptic calendar is used by the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt, while the Ethiopian calendar has some unique features and month names.
What time does Ethiopia use? Ethiopia also uses a different clock system. The Ethiopian day starts at dawn (approximately 6 AM Gregorian time), so Ethiopian "1 o'clock" is 7 AM in the Gregorian clock system.
