Ethiopian calendar
Encyclopedia
The Ethiopian calendar also called the Ge'ez calendar, is the principal calendar used in Ethiopia
and also serves as the liturgical calendar for Christians in Eritrea
belonging to the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Church and Lutheran
Evangelical Church of Eritrea. It is based on the older Alexandrian or Coptic calendar
, which in turn derives from the Egyptian calendar
, but like the Julian calendar
, it adds a leap day every four years without exception, and begins the year on August 29 or August 30 in the Julian calendar. A seven- to eight-year gap between the Ethiopian and Gregorian
calendars results from alternate calculations in determining the date of the Annunciation
of Jesus
.
Like the Coptic calendar, the Ethiopian calendar has twelve months of 30 days each plus five or six epagomenal days, which comprise a thirteenth month. The Ethiopian months begin on the same days as those of the Coptic calendar, but their names are in Ge'ez
. The sixth epagomenal day is added every four years without exception on August 29 of the Julian calendar, six months before the Julian leap day. Thus the first day of the Ethiopian year, 1 Mäskäräm, for years between 1901 and 2099 (inclusive), is usually September 11 (Gregorian
), but falls on September 12 in years before the Gregorian leap year.
The current year according to the Ethiopian calendar is 2004, which began on September 12, 2011 AD
of the Gregorian calendar.
is the word for the Ethiopian new year
in Amharic
, the official language of Ethiopia, while it is called Ri'se Awde Amet (Head Anniversary) in Ge'ez
, the term preferred by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It occurs on September 11 in the Gregorian calendar, except for leap years, when it occurs on September 12. The Ethiopian calendar year 1998 'Amätä Məhrät ("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 from the Gregorian years 1900 to 2099. Generally, because every fourth Ethiopian year is a leap year without exception, while Gregorian years divisible by 100 are not leap years, a set of corresponding dates will thus apply only for one century. However, because the Gregorian year 2000 is a leap year, then in this case the correspondences continue for two centuries.
or Incarnation
of Jesus
on March 25 of 9 AD (Julian), as calculated by Annianus of Alexandria
c. 400; thus its first civil year began seven months earlier on August 29, 8 AD. Meanwhile, Europeans eventually adopted the calculations made by Dionysius Exiguus
in 525 AD instead, which placed the Annunciation eight years earlier than had Annianus. This causes the Ethiopian year number to be eight years less than the Gregorian year number from January 1 until September 10 or 11, then seven years less for the remainder of the Gregorian year.
In the past, a number of other era
s for numbering years were also widely used in Ethiopia and the Axumite Kingdom:
, also known as the Diocletian
Era, whose first year began on August 29, 284.
Respectively to the Gregorian and Julian New Year's Days about three months later, the difference between the Era of Martyrs and the Anni Domini
is 285 (= 15x19) years. This is because in AD 525, Dionysius Exiguus
decided to add 15 Metonic cycle
s to the existing 13 Metonic cycles of the Diocletian
Era (15x19 + 13x19 = 532) to obtain an entire 532-year medieval Easter
cycle, whose first cycle ended with the year Era of Martyrs 247 (= 13x19) equal to year DXXXI. It is also because 532 is the product of the Metonic cycle of 19 years and the Solar cycle
of 28 years.
= in the year of the world), the date of creation
, on 29 August 5493 BC
. After the 6th century AD, the era was used by Egyptian and Ethiopian chronologists. The twelfth 532-year-cycle of this era began on 29 August 360 AD, and so 4x19 years after the Era of Martyrs.
preferred the Annunciation style as New Year's Day, the 25 March (see above). Thus he shifted the Panodoros era by about six months, to begin on 25 March 5492 BC.
, followed by the Matthew
-year and then the Mark
-year. The year with the sixth epagomenal day is traditionally designated as the Luke
-year.
There are no exceptions to the four year leap-year cycle, unlike the Gregorian calendar
.
Note that these dates are valid only from March 1900 to February 2100.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and also serves as the liturgical calendar for Christians in Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
belonging to the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Church and Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
Evangelical Church of Eritrea. It is based on the older Alexandrian or Coptic calendar
Coptic calendar
The Coptic calendar, also called the Alexandrian calendar, is used by the Coptic Orthodox Church and still used in Egypt. This calendar is based on the ancient Egyptian calendar...
, which in turn derives from the Egyptian calendar
Egyptian calendar
The ancient civil Egyptian calendar had a year that was 360 days long and was divided into 12 months of 30 days each, plus five extra days at the end of the year. The months were divided into three weeks of ten days each...
, but like the Julian calendar
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
, it adds a leap day every four years without exception, and begins the year on August 29 or August 30 in the Julian calendar. A seven- to eight-year gap between the Ethiopian and Gregorian
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
calendars results from alternate calculations in determining the date of the Annunciation
Annunciation
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
.
Like the Coptic calendar, the Ethiopian calendar has twelve months of 30 days each plus five or six epagomenal days, which comprise a thirteenth month. The Ethiopian months begin on the same days as those of the Coptic calendar, but their names are in Ge'ez
Ge'ez language
Ge'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the northern region of Ethiopia and southern Eritrea in the Horn of Africa...
. The sixth epagomenal day is added every four years without exception on August 29 of the Julian calendar, six months before the Julian leap day. Thus the first day of the Ethiopian year, 1 Mäskäräm, for years between 1901 and 2099 (inclusive), is usually September 11 (Gregorian
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
), but falls on September 12 in years before the Gregorian leap year.
The current year according to the Ethiopian calendar is 2004, which began on September 12, 2011 AD
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
of the Gregorian calendar.
New Year's Day
EnkutatashEnkutatash
Enkutatash is the first day of the New Year in Ethiopia. It occurs on Meskerem 1 on the Ethiopian calendar, which is 11 September according to the Gregorian calendar....
is the word for the Ethiopian new year
New Year
The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
in Amharic
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
, the official language of Ethiopia, while it is called Ri'se Awde Amet (Head Anniversary) in Ge'ez
Ge'ez language
Ge'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the northern region of Ethiopia and southern Eritrea in the Horn of Africa...
, the term preferred by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It occurs on September 11 in the Gregorian calendar, except for leap years, when it occurs on September 12. The Ethiopian calendar year 1998 'Amätä Məhrät ("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 from the Gregorian years 1900 to 2099. Generally, because every fourth Ethiopian year is a leap year without exception, while Gregorian years divisible by 100 are not leap years, a set of corresponding dates will thus apply only for one century. However, because the Gregorian year 2000 is a leap year, then in this case the correspondences continue for two centuries.
Eras
To indicate the year, Ethiopians and followers of the Eritrean churches today use the Incarnation Era, which dates from the AnnunciationAnnunciation
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
or Incarnation
Incarnation (Christianity)
The Incarnation in traditional Christianity is the belief that Jesus Christ the second person of the Trinity, also known as God the Son or the Logos , "became flesh" by being conceived in the womb of a woman, the Virgin Mary, also known as the Theotokos .The Incarnation is a fundamental theological...
of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
on March 25 of 9 AD (Julian), as calculated by Annianus of Alexandria
Annianus of Alexandria
Annianus of Alexandria or Annianos was a monk who flourished in Alexandria during the bishopric of Theophilus of Alexandria around the beginning of the fifth century...
c. 400; thus its first civil year began seven months earlier on August 29, 8 AD. Meanwhile, Europeans eventually adopted the calculations made by Dionysius Exiguus
Dionysius Exiguus
Dionysius Exiguus was a 6th-century monk born in Scythia Minor, modern Dobruja shared by Romania and Bulgaria. He was a member of the Scythian monks community concentrated in Tomis, the major city of Scythia Minor...
in 525 AD instead, which placed the Annunciation eight years earlier than had Annianus. This causes the Ethiopian year number to be eight years less than the Gregorian year number from January 1 until September 10 or 11, then seven years less for the remainder of the Gregorian year.
In the past, a number of other era
Era
An era is a commonly used word for long period of time. When used in science, for example geology, eras denote clearly defined periods of time of arbitrary but well defined length, such as for example the Mesozoic era from 252 Ma–66 Ma, delimited by a start event and an end event. When used in...
s for numbering years were also widely used in Ethiopia and the Axumite Kingdom:
Era of Martyrs
The most important era—once widely used by the Eastern Churches, and still used by the Coptic Church—was the Era of MartyrsEra of Martyrs
The Era of the Martyrs , also known as the Diocletian era , is a method of numbering years used by the Church of Alexandria beginning in the 4th century anno Domini and by the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria from the 5th century to the present. Western Christians were aware of it but did not...
, also known as the Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
Era, whose first year began on August 29, 284.
Respectively to the Gregorian and Julian New Year's Days about three months later, the difference between the Era of Martyrs and the Anni Domini
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
is 285 (= 15x19) years. This is because in AD 525, Dionysius Exiguus
Dionysius Exiguus
Dionysius Exiguus was a 6th-century monk born in Scythia Minor, modern Dobruja shared by Romania and Bulgaria. He was a member of the Scythian monks community concentrated in Tomis, the major city of Scythia Minor...
decided to add 15 Metonic cycle
Metonic cycle
In astronomy and calendar studies, the Metonic cycle or Enneadecaeteris is a period of very close to 19 years which is remarkable for being very nearly a common multiple of the solar year and the synodic month...
s to the existing 13 Metonic cycles of the Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
Era (15x19 + 13x19 = 532) to obtain an entire 532-year medieval Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
cycle, whose first cycle ended with the year Era of Martyrs 247 (= 13x19) equal to year DXXXI. It is also because 532 is the product of the Metonic cycle of 19 years and the Solar cycle
Solar cycle
The solar cycle, or the solar magnetic activity cycle, is a periodic change in the amount of irradiation from the Sun that is experienced on Earth. It has a period of about 11 years, and is one component of solar variation, the other being aperiodic fluctuations. Solar variation causes changes in...
of 28 years.
Anno Mundi according to Panodoros
Around AD 400, an Alexandrine monk called Panodoros fixed the Alexandrian Era (Anno MundiAnno Mundi
' , abbreviated as AM or A.M., refers to a Calendar era based on the Biblical creation of the world. Numerous efforts have been made to determine the Biblical date of Creation, yielding varying results. Besides differences in interpretation, which version of the Bible is being referenced also...
= in the year of the world), the date of creation
Dating Creation
Cultures throughout history have attempted to date the beginning of the the world in the past, so methods of dating Creation have involved analysing scriptures or ancient texts.-Ancient creation dates:...
, on 29 August 5493 BC
6th millennium BC
During the 6th millennium BC, agriculture spread from the Balkans to Italy and Eastern Europe, and also from Mesopotamia to Egypt. World population was essentially stable at approximately 5 million, though some speculate up to 7 million.-Events:...
. After the 6th century AD, the era was used by Egyptian and Ethiopian chronologists. The twelfth 532-year-cycle of this era began on 29 August 360 AD, and so 4x19 years after the Era of Martyrs.
Anno Mundi according to Anianos
Bishop AnianosAnnianus of Alexandria
Annianus of Alexandria or Annianos was a monk who flourished in Alexandria during the bishopric of Theophilus of Alexandria around the beginning of the fifth century...
preferred the Annunciation style as New Year's Day, the 25 March (see above). Thus he shifted the Panodoros era by about six months, to begin on 25 March 5492 BC.
Leap year cycle
The four year leap-year cycle is associated with the four Evangelists: the first year after an Ethiopian leap year is named in honour of JohnJohn the Evangelist
Saint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...
, followed by the Matthew
Matthew the Evangelist
Matthew the Evangelist was, according to the Bible, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists.-Identity:...
-year and then the Mark
Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
-year. The year with the sixth epagomenal day is traditionally designated as the Luke
Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist was an Early Christian writer whom Church Fathers such as Jerome and Eusebius said was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles...
-year.
There are no exceptions to the four year leap-year cycle, unlike the Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
.
Months
| Ge'ez Ge'ez language Ge'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the northern region of Ethiopia and southern Eritrea in the Horn of Africa... , Amharic Amharic language Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working... , and Tigrinya Tigrinya language Tigrinya , also spelled Tigrigna, Tigrnia, Tigrina, Tigriña, less commonly Tigrinian, Tigrinyan, is a Semitic language spoken by the Tigrinya people in central Eritrea , where it is one of the two main languages of Eritrea, and in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia , where it... (with Tigrinya suffixes in parentheses) | Coptic Coptic language Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century... | Gregorian start date | Start date in year after sixth epagomenal day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mäskäräm (መስከረም) | Tut (Thout Thout Thout , also known as Tout, is the first month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between 11 September and 10 October of the Gregorian calendar... ) |
September 11 | September 12 |
| Ṭəqəmt(i) (ጥቅምት) | Babah (Paopi Paopi Paopi , also known as Baba, is the second month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between October 11 and November 9 of the Gregorian calendar... ) |
October 11 | October 12 |
| Ḫədar (ኅዳር) | Hatur (Hathor Month of Hathor Hathor , also known as Hatour, is the third month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between November 10 and December 9 of the Gregorian calendar... ) |
November 10 | November 11 |
| Taḫśaś ( ታኅሣሥ) | Kiyahk (Koiak Koiak Koiak , also known as Kiahk, is the fourth month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between December 10 and January 8 of the Gregorian calendar... ) |
December 10 | December 11 |
| Ṭərr(i) (ጥር) | Tubah (Tobi Month of Tobi Tobi , also known as Touba, is the fifth month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between January 9 and February 7 of the Gregorian calendar... ) |
January 9 | January 10 |
| Yäkatit (Tn. Läkatit) (የካቲት) | Amshir (Meshir Meshir Meshir , also known as Amshir, is the sixth month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between February 8 and March 9 of the Gregorian calendar... ) |
February 8 | February 9 |
| Mägabit (መጋቢት) | Baramhat (Paremhat Paremhat Paremhat , also known as Baramhat, is the seventh month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between March 10 and April 8 of the Gregorian calendar.... ) |
March 10 | March 10 |
| Miyazya (ሚያዝያ) | Baramundah (Paremoude Paremoude Parmouti , also known as Barmouda, is the eighth month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between April 9 and May 8 of the Gregorian calendar. Paremoude was also the fourth month of the Season of Proyet in Ancient Egypt, when the Nile floods recede and the crops start to grow throughout Egypt... ) |
April 9 | April 9 |
| Gənbot (ግንቦት) | Bashans (Pashons Pashons Pashons , also known as Bashans, is the ninth month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between May 9 and June 7 of the Gregorian calendar. The month of Pashons is also the first month of the Season of 'Shemu' in Ancient Egypt, where the Egyptians harvest their crops throughout the land of Egypt... ) |
May 9 | May 9 |
| Säne (ሰኔ) | Ba'unah (Paoni Paoni Paoni , also known as Baona, is the tenth month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between June 8 and July 7 of the Gregorian calendar... ) |
June 8 | June 8 |
| Ḥamle (ሐምሌ) | Abib (Epip Epip Epip , also known as Abib, is the eleventh month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between July 8 and August 6 of the Gregorian calendar. The month of Epip is also the third month of the Season of 'Shemu' in Ancient Egypt, where the Egyptians harvest their crops throughout the land of Egypt.... ) |
July 8 | July 8 |
| Nähase (ነሐሴ) | Misra (Mesori Mesori Mesori , also known as Mesra, is the twelfth month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between August 7 and September 5 of the Gregorian calendar. The month of Mesori is also the fourth month of the Season of 'Shemu' in Ancient Egypt, where the Egyptians harvest their crops throughout Egypt... ) |
August 7 | August 7 |
| Ṗagʷəmen/Ṗagume (ጳጐሜን/ጳጉሜ) | Nasi (Pi Kogi Enavot Pi Kogi Enavot Pi Kogi Enavot , also known as El Nasii, is the thirteenth and last month of the Coptic calendar. It lies between September 6 and September 10 of the Gregorian calendar. That month is also incorporated in the Season of 'Shemu' in Ancient Egypt, where the Egyptians harvest their crops throughout... ) |
September 6 | September 6 |
Note that these dates are valid only from March 1900 to February 2100.
Sources
- "The Ethiopian Calendar", Appendix IV, C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B. Huntingford, The Prester John of the Indies (Cambridge: Hakluyt SocietyHakluyt SocietyFounded in 1846, the Hakluyt Society is a registered charity based in London, England, which seeks to advance knowledge and education by the publication of scholarly editions of primary records of voyages, travels and other geographical material...
, 1961). - Ginzel, Friedrich KarlFriedrich Karl GinzelFriedrich Karl Ginzel was an Austrian astronomer.From 1877 Ginzel worked at the observatory in Vienna...
, "Handbuch der matematischen und technischen Chronologie", Leipzig, 3 vol., 1906-1914
External links
- The Ethiopian Time and Date Online converter with links to free Yahoo widget and iPhone app
- The Ethiopic Calendar by Aberra Molla
- Ethiopian Calendar Converter
- Ethiopian Perpetual Calendar Software
- Ethiopian Online Calendar
- Siyan Gregorian-Ethiopic Date converter applet