Ethiopian New Year

Enkutatashis the word for the Ethiopian new year in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, while it is called Ri’seAwdeAmet (Head Anniversary) in Ge’ez, the term preferred by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It occurs on September 11 in the Gregorian calendar, except for the year following a leap year, when it occurs on September 12. The Ethiopian calendar year 1998 ‘AmätäMəhrät (“Year of Mercy”) began on September 11, 2005. However, the Ethiopian years 1996 and 1992 AM began on September 12, 2003 and 1999, respectively.

This date correspondence applies for the Gregorian years 1900 to 2099. The Ethiopian leap year is every four without exception, while Gregorian centurial years are only leap years when exactly divisible by 400; thus a set of corresponding dates will most often apply for a single century. As the Gregorian year 2000 is a leap year, the current correspondence lasts two centuries instead.