Ethiopia: A different mood on 11 September
Addis Ababa
12/9/2011
The rest of the world always remembers 9/11 as an unpleasant day but while Ethiopians may share that feeling, it is not the only thing they think about as the world marks a decade of the gory incident.
Ethiopia’s unique calendar rescued the country’s indigenes working at the World Trade Centre from the 9/11 attacks and that was because the day was a New Year celebrated by all Ethiopians throughout the world and none of them was at the World Trade Centre that day.
Also this year, when the rest of the world celebrated new year nine months ago with dazzling lights, fireworks and best wishes, official statements from religious, as well as political leaders, Ethiopia was quiet.
That is simply because the Horn of Africa state uses its own calendar and has distinctive annual celebrations – religious, historic or cultural – which are celebrated days, months and years after the rest of the world.
For instance, Ethiopia will celebrate its new year on Monday, 12 September and Christmas, called Ghanna, will be held 14 days after the rest of the world.
Ethiopians call the 25 December Christmas yeferenjoch (foreigners’ – mainly whites’) Ghanna and the New Year a week after, yefenrenjoch addis amet (foreigner’s New Year).
This has always been the case in Ethiopia, which, for the past 2000 years, has a different calendar, except for holidays celebrated by Muslims – almost half of the population.
Major holidays in Islam, EId-Al-Fitir and Eid-Al-Adha are celebrated by Muslims on the same day everywhere in the world, through lunar calendar and Ethiopia is no exception.
“Ethiopia’s ancient culture reflects Animist, Judaic, Byzantine, Christian and Islamic heritages. One of its notable qualities is its calendar,” according to Nita Bhalla, a traveler from the west, who visited Ethiopia in 2009.
The Ethiopian calendar has more in common with the Coptic Egyptian Calendar, as the Ethiopic and Coptic calendars have 13 months, 12 of 30 days each and an intercalary month at the end of the year of five or six days, depending whether the year is a leap year or not.
Ethiopians call the 13th month Puagime.
With a year of 13 months, 365 days and 366 days in a leap year (every fourth year) the calendar is influenced by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which follows its ancient calendar rules and beliefs.
A new year starts 11 September in the Gregorian calendar or on the 12th in (Gregorian) leap years. The Coptic leap year follows the same rules as the Gregorian, so that the extra month always has six days in a Gregorian leap year.
Hence, Ethiopians will celebrate their New Year nine months after the rest of the world on 12 September, 2011. Had this year not been a leap year, the Ethiopian new year would have been Sunday, 11 September.
A decade ago, when 9/11 happened, it was not a leap year and Ethiopians were celebrating a new year.
The Ethiopic calendar differs from both the Coptic and the Julian calendars. The difference between the Ethiopic and Coptic is 276 years. In spite of this, the Ethiopic Calendar is closely associated with the rules and the different calculations influenced by the Coptic Church and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church.
Based on the ancient Coptic Calendar, the Ethiopian Calendar is seven to eight years behind the Gregorian Calendar, depending on which month the calculation is done. This is owing to alternate calculations in determining the date of the annunciation of the birth of Jesus.
That is why it is still 2003 in Ethiopia, eight years behind the rest of the world and it would be 2004 Monday, seven years behind the rest of the world.
Accordingly, with the infamous theme: “Become Seven Years Younger,” Ethiopia’s millennium was celebrated 11 September, 2007, giving the world a second chance to celebrate a millennium, year after it did so. (Pana)
