The Ethiopian Calendar - Time And Date

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The exterior of Ras Makkonen Selassie church in Harar, Ethiopia.
Orthodox church in Ethiopia. ©iStockphoto.com/HomoCosmicos

This is the main calendar used in Ethiopia. It is also the official calendar in the Orthodox Tewahido Church in both Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Orthodox holidays

Solar Calendar

It is a solar calendar, based on the time it takes Earth to make 1 full orbit around the Sun, also known as a tropical year or solar year.

Same Historical Roots

The Ethiopian calendar is based on the same astronomical calculations that lie behind today's Gregorian calendar and its predecessor, the Julian calendar.

The Ethiopian calendar is closely related to the Coptic and Julian calendars, but it is not quite the same.

13 Months in a Year

A year in the Ethiopian calendar is 13 months long, with 12 months of 30 days each. The last month has 5 days in a common year and 6 days during leap year.

Like in the Julian calendar, a leap year in the Ethiopian calendar happens every 4 years without exception.

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Jesus' Birth Year Main Difference

The main point of difference lies in the calculation of the date of the birth of Jesus, which means that the Ethiopian calendar is 7 to 8 years behind the Gregorian calendar.

While most Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25, Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7 along with many Orthodox Christian churches around the world.

Most other Orthodox churches use the Julian calendar. A few Orthodox communities use the Revised Julian calendar instead, which is one of the most accurate calendars ever developed.

Topics: Calendar

The Ethiopian Calendar

Used in Ethiopia and the Orthodox Tewahido Church in Eritrea
Calendar type Solar
Accuracy 11 min per year or 1 day in 128 years
Number of days Common year: 365 Leap year: 366
Number of months 13
Correction mechanism Leap day
Calendars Worldwide
  1. Gregorian Calendar
  2. Julian Calendar
  3. Hindu Calendar
  4. Buddhist Calendar
  5. Islamic Calendar
  6. Jewish Calendar
  7. Persian Calendar
  8. Chinese Calendar
  9. Baháʼí Calendar
  10. Tamil Calendar
  11. Coptic Calendar
  12. Ethiopian Calendar
  13. Revised Julian Calendar
  14. Mayan Calendar

Calendar Services

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