Ethiopian calendar
From Freepedia
The Ethiopian calendar or Ethiopic calendar is the principal calendar used in Ethiopia. It is based on the old Alexandrian calendar, which is the even older Egyptian calendar, but like the Julian calendar adds a leap day added every four years without exception, and begins the year on August 29 or August 30 in the Julian calendar.
Like the Alexandrian and Coptic calendars, the Ethiopian calendar has twelve months of 30 days each plus five or six epagomenal days (usually called a thirteenth month), but with Amharic names. The sixth epagomenal day is added every four years on August 29 in the Julian calendar, six months before the Julian leap day. Thus the first day of the Ethiopian year, 1 Maskaram, is usually August 29 (Julian), but is August 30 (Julian) six months before the Julian leap day. For Gregorian years between 1901 and 2099 inclusive, the equivalent Gregorian dates are September 11 and September 12.
Enkutatash, the Ethiopian new year, occurs on September 11 in the Gregorian calendar, except during leap years. 1998 on the Ethiopian calendar began on 11 September, 2005.
To indicate the year, the Ethiopians primarily uses the Incarnation Era, which dates the Incarnation of Jesus to 25 March, 9 (Julian) (chosen by Annianus of Alexandria at the beginning of the fifth century), thus its first civil year began seven months earlier on 29 August, 8 (Julian). This causes the Ethiopian year number to be eight years less than the Gregorian year number from January 1 until September 10 or September 11, then seven years less for the remainder of the Gregorian year.
In the past a number of other eras have been used. One is the Alexandrian Era (Anno Mundi = in the year of the world), which fixed the date of creation in late 5493 BC. Another was the Era of Martyrs, whose first year began in late 284. Two other known methods for indicating the date, which are not fixed to an Era, are: Year of Grace, which is based on the 532-year medieval Easter cycle, whose first year began in 360; and a four-year repeating series of years named after the Evangelists in the order Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.1
| Amharic | Coptic | Gregorian start date | Start date in year after sixth epagomenal day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maskaram | Tut | September 11 | September 12 |
| Teqemt | Babah | October 11 | October 12 |
| Kehdar | Hatur | November 10 | November 11 |
| Takhsas | Kiyahk | December 10 | December 11 |
| Ter | Tubah | January 9 | January 10 |
| Yakatit | Amshir | February 8 | February 9 |
| Magabit | Baramhat | March 10 | March 10 |
| Miyazya | Baramundah | April 9 | April 9 |
| Genbot | Bashans | May 9 | May 9 |
| Sane | Ba'unah | June 8 | June 8 |
| Hamle | Abib | July 8 | July 8 |
| Nehase | Misra | August 7 | August 7 |
| Paguemen | Nasi | September 6 | September 6 |
Notes
- As explained in Appendix IV, "The Ethiopian Calendar", C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B. Huntingford, The Prester John of the Indies (Cambridge: Hakluyt Society, 1961).
External links
- Warning: In the following two links, dates in the "Ethiopian calendar" have been converted into a pseudo-Julian calendar by replacing the true Amharic Ethiopian month names by close, but not coincident, Julian names. For example, Maskaram is called "September" even though Maskaram actually begins on August 29/30 (Julian). When they state that the Ethopian year begins on "September 1", they mean it begins on Masakaram 1. Similarly, when they state that Christmas occurs on "December 29" in the Ethiopian calendar, they mean it occurs on Takhsas 29.
- Ethiopian Calendar Converter
- Ethiopian Perpetual Calendar Software.
