Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash): History, Traditions, and Key Dates

On the morning of Meskerem 1, something visible happens across Ethiopia. Yellow daisies called adey abeba appear in markets and doorways. Children in white clothes walk house to house singing. The smell of incense and fresh bread is in the air before most offices open. This is Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year, and it is one of the clearest expressions of what the Ethiopian calendar means in daily life.

What Enkutatash means and when it falls

Enkutatash (እንቁጣጣሽ) is often translated as "gift of jewels." The name is connected to a traditional story about the Queen of Sheba returning from her visit to King Solomon and being welcomed with jewels. Over centuries the celebration became about renewal rather than a single historical event: the end of the long rainy season, the start of a new agricultural year, and the beginning of a fresh calendar cycle.

On the Gregorian calendar, Enkutatash falls on September 11 in most years, or September 12 in years where the interaction between the two calendar systems shifts the date. The Ethiopian year that begins on that day carries a number roughly 7 to 8 years behind the current Gregorian year. In September 2025, for example, Ethiopia enters the year 2018 E.C. while the Gregorian world is still in 2025.

How people celebrate

At home

Enkutatash is centered on family. Houses are cleaned thoroughly in the days before. New or freshly washed clothes are worn on the day itself. Families prepare special food, often including doro wat and injera, and hold a full Ethiopian coffee ceremony for guests. Relatives and neighbours visit each other throughout the day, and it is common for people to travel back to their home regions for the holiday.

Children and flowers

In many areas, children play an active role. Girls wear traditional white dresses and carry bunches of adey abeba flowers from house to house, singing New Year songs and giving hand-drawn greeting cards. Adults give them sweets or small coins in return. This tradition is particularly strong in highland regions and is one of the more visible signs that the holiday is happening if you are arriving in Ethiopia for the first time around this date.

Church services

For Orthodox Christian families, the church service is central. Many attend a morning service, receive a blessing for the year ahead, and light candles. The holiday falls close to other important feasts in the Orthodox calendar, which gives the whole Meskerem period a religious weight that extends beyond one day.

Enkutatash in cities and modern life

Urban celebrations look somewhat different from rural ones but share the same core. Television and radio broadcast special New Year programs. Businesses run promotions and send greetings. Social media fills with messages between diaspora Ethiopians and their families at home. Even in cities where the agricultural dimension of the holiday is not felt directly, Enkutatash marks the moment when the year number changes and people look forward rather than back.

One practical note: government offices and many private businesses close on Enkutatash. Transport is busy in the days before, as people travel home. Hotels in popular destinations can fill up. If you are scheduling anything important around mid-September, check the exact date for the relevant year before confirming.

Greetings and phrases

If you want to wish someone a happy Ethiopian New Year in Amharic, the most common phrases are:

• መልካም አዲስ አመት (Melkam Addis Amet) — Happy New Year
• እንቁጣጣሽ በዓል (Enkutatash Be'al) — Happy Enkutatash

Sending a short message or making a call on Meskerem 1 is one of the simplest ways to stay connected with friends and family in Ethiopia or in the diaspora, wherever you are in the world.