Ethiopian Calendar Guide

Everything you need to know about the Ethiopian calendar system

Ethiopian Calendar Months

First Half of the Year
1
Mäskäräm (መስከረም)
30 days • Sept 11 - Oct 10
2
Ṭəqəmt (ጥቅምት)
30 days • Oct 11 - Nov 9
3
Ḫədar (ኅዳር)
30 days • Nov 10 - Dec 9
4
Taḫśaś (ታኅሣሥ)
30 days • Dec 10 - Jan 8
5
Ṭərr (ጥር)
30 days • Jan 9 - Feb 7
6
Yäkatit (የካቲት)
30 days • Feb 8 - Mar 9
Second Half of the Year
7
Mägabit (መጋቢት)
30 days • Mar 10 - Apr 8
8
Miyazya (ሚያዝያ)
30 days • Apr 9 - May 8
9
Gənbot (ግንቦት)
30 days • May 9 - Jun 7
10
Sane (ሰኔ)
30 days • Jun 8 - Jul 7
11
Ḥamle (ሐምሌ)
30 days • Jul 8 - Aug 6
12
Nähase (ነሐሴ)
30 days • Aug 7 - Sept 5
13
Pagumē (ጳጉሜ)
5-6 days • Sept 6 - Sept 10/11

Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash)

The Ethiopian New Year falls on September 11th in the Gregorian calendar, or September 12th in leap years. This marks the beginning of spring in Ethiopia and is celebrated with joy and festivities.

Mäskäräm 1
First day of the year
Spring Season
Beginning of spring
Celebration
National holiday

Ethiopian Leap Years

Ethiopian leap years occur every 4 years, similar to the Gregorian system. During leap years, Pagumē has 6 days instead of the usual 5.

Regular Years
  • 12 months of 30 days each
  • Pagumē with 5 days
  • Total: 365 days
Leap Years
  • 12 months of 30 days each
  • Pagumē with 6 days
  • Total: 366 days
Leap Year Rule

An Ethiopian year is a leap year if it's divisible by 4, following the same pattern as the Gregorian calendar.

Leap Year Calculator

Use our converter to check if any Ethiopian year is a leap year.

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Important Ethiopian Holidays

Enkutatash
New Year

Mäskäräm 1

Sept 11/12
Meskel
Finding of True Cross

Mäskäräm 17

Sept 27/28
Timkat
Epiphany

Ṭərr 11

Jan 19/20
Genna
Ethiopian Christmas

Taḫśaś 29

Jan 7

Conversion Rules & Facts

Key Conversion Facts
  • Year Difference
    Ethiopian calendar is approximately 7-8 years behind the Gregorian calendar
  • New Year Alignment
    Ethiopian New Year falls on September 11/12 in Gregorian calendar
  • Leap Year Synchronization
    Both calendars follow similar leap year patterns
Conversion Examples
Ethiopian: Mäskäräm 1, 2017
Ethiopian New Year 2017
Gregorian: Sept 11, 2024
Non-leap year
Ethiopian: Pagumē 6, 2016
Last day of leap year
Gregorian: Sept 11, 2024
Leap year
Pro Tip: Use our converter to practice with different dates and understand the patterns!

Quick Reference: Month Alignment

Ethiopian Month Days Gregorian Equivalent Season
Mäskäräm (መስከረም) 30 Sept 11 - Oct 10 Spring
Ṭəqəmt (ጥቅምት) 30 Oct 11 - Nov 9 Spring
Ḫədar (ኅዳር) 30 Nov 10 - Dec 9 Spring
Taḫśaś (ታኅሣሥ) 30 Dec 10 - Jan 8 Summer
Ṭərr (ጥር) 30 Jan 9 - Feb 7 Summer
Yäkatit (የካቲት) 30 Feb 8 - Mar 9 Summer
Pagumē (ጳጉሜ) 5-6 Sept 6 - Sept 10/11 End of Year

Ready to Convert Dates?

Now that you understand the Ethiopian calendar system, try our converter tool!