Ethiopian New Year’s Day in Ethiopia
Ethiopian New Year’s Day is a holiday in Ethiopia.
When is Ethiopian New Year’s Day in Ethiopia
Ethiopian New Year’s Day is celebrated on 12, September, 2023 in Ethiopia.
About Ethiopian New Year’s Day in Ethiopia
The Ethiopian New Year’s Day holiday, also known as Enkutatash, is celebrated on September 11th (or September 12th in leap years) and marks the beginning of the Ethiopian calendar year. It is a public holiday in Ethiopia and is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy.
Enkutatash is a time for family and friends to come together, exchange gifts, and share traditional meals. The holiday is also a time for spiritual reflection and thanksgiving, as Ethiopians give thanks for the blessings of the past year and pray for a prosperous new year.
The holiday is characterized by colorful processions, traditional music and dance, and the exchange of flowers and gifts. Young children often dress up in new clothes and go door-to-door singing songs and receiving small gifts from their neighbors.
Enkutatash is also a time for forgiveness and reconciliation, as Ethiopians seek to put aside any disagreements or conflicts from the past year and start anew with a clean slate.
Overall, the Ethiopian New Year’s Day holiday is a time for celebration, reflection, and renewal, and is an important cultural and spiritual event in Ethiopia.
History of Ethiopian New Year’s Day in Ethiopia
Ethiopian New Year’s Day, also known as Enkutatash, is celebrated on September 11th (or September 12th in a leap year) and marks the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the new harvest season. The holiday has been celebrated for over 3,000 years and is based on the Ethiopian calendar, which is different from the Gregorian calendar used in most of the Western world.
According to legend, Enkutatash commemorates the return of the Queen of Sheba to Ethiopia after visiting King Solomon in Jerusalem. Upon her return, she was greeted with flowers and the new year was declared. The holiday also has ties to the Coptic Orthodox Church, which celebrates the new year on the same day.
During the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie, Enkutatash became a national holiday and was celebrated with parades, feasts, and traditional dances. However, during the communist regime that followed, the holiday was banned for several years as part of the government’s efforts to suppress traditional cultural practices.
Since the fall of the communist government in 1991, Enkutatash has once again become a widely celebrated holiday in Ethiopia. It is a time for families to come together, exchange gifts, and enjoy traditional foods such as injera (a sourdough flatbread) and doro wat (a spicy chicken stew).
Today, Enkutatash is an important cultural celebration in Ethiopia and is a symbol of hope and renewal for the coming year.
How is Ethiopian New Year’s Day celebrated in Ethiopia
Ethiopian New Year’s Day, also known as Enkutatash, is celebrated on September 11th. Here are some ways it is celebrated in Ethiopia:
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Church services: Many Ethiopians attend church services to give thanks for the past year and pray for blessings in the new year.
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Family gatherings: Families come together to share a meal and celebrate the new year. Traditional dishes like injera (a sourdough flatbread) and doro wat (a spicy chicken stew) are often served.
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Gift giving: It is common to exchange gifts with family and friends during Enkutatash. Children may receive new clothes or toys, and adults may give small gifts like flowers or sweets.
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Dancing and singing: In some parts of Ethiopia, people gather in the streets to dance and sing traditional songs to celebrate the new year.
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Bonfires: In some areas, bonfires are lit to mark the start of the new year. People may jump over the fire as a symbol of leaving the past behind and moving forward into the new year.
Overall, Enkutatash is a time for reflection, gratitude, and celebration of the new beginnings.
Dates
Ethiopian New Year’s Day will be celebrated in Ethiopia on 2023-09-12, 2024-09-11, 2025-09-11, 2026-09-11, 2027-09-12 in the comming years.
