• Ethiopian New Year / Enkutatash, Adey Abeba, Ethiopian New Year Flower
    Adey Abeba

    Native to Ethiopia.

Ethiopian New Year/Ethiopian Calendar

Posted on Mon September 12, 2022.
Ethiopian New Year / Enkutatash, Adey Abeba, New Year Flower

Happy Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash), 2015. A unique calendar system. Compared to the Gregorian Calendar, it is 7 years and 8 months late. Its New Year lies on September 11 and becomes 12 in a leap year. Bidens macroptera (locally called Adey Abeba) is native to Ethiopia - symbolizes not only the end of the rainy season and the start of summer but also indicates the end of a year and the beginning of a new one.

Ethiopia is a nation with a unique calendar system. Compared to the Gregorian Calendar, it is 7 years and 8 months late. The New Year lies on September 11 and becomes 12 in a leap year (Meskerem 1 in Ethiopia). One of the uniqueness Ethiopia is known for is its 13th month (Pagume). For this, it had its previous tourism motto "13 months of sunshine" which no country in the world claims to have. The 13th month, Pagume, contains only 5 days and becomes 6 on a leap year (like February 29) while the rest of the 12 days have 30 days each with no DLS (Day Light Saving System).

The other unique flora concerning the New Year is the Bidens macroptera (locally called Adey Abeba) a species of the herb in the family Asteraceae and native to Ethiopia. Adey Abeba symbolizes not only the end of the rainy season and the start of summer but also indicates the end of a year and the beginning of a new one. it only blossoms in August and stays for two months. It's a small flower with 8 yellow petals.

For the Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash), a group of young girls sing the traditional new year song Abebayehosh (Abebayesh Woy) and give Adey Abeba to their parents, relatives, neighbors, and loved ones as a symbol of luck and blessing for the new year.