New Year's Day, also known as Enkutatash in Amharic, is one of Ethiopia’s major annual celebrations. Ethiopians, as per the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, use a unique calendar based on the Alexandrian or Coptic calendar, which is seven to eight years behind the Gregorian Calendar. As a result, the Ethiopian New Year's Day usually falls on September 11, and on September 12 in a leap year.
On New Year's Day, Ethiopians take part in a plethora of vibrant traditions and customs. It is a day of family reunions and a time for children, dressed in new outfits, to receive bouquets of daisies. The locals begin the day early in the morning with church services, followed by a family gathering with a feast featuring traditional Ethiopian food and drinks. It is also common for Ethiopian children to gift their parents and neighbors with bouquets of flowers as a symbol of the new season.
The Ethiopian New Year also signifies the end of the rainy season and the commencement of the spring season. The country becomes a blanket of yellow flowers known as Meskel flowers or Adey Abeba, which is the original term in Ethiopia. This beautiful scenery adds to the festive feeling in the air, creating an atmosphere of hope, love, and unity. New Year's Day in Ethiopia is not just a celebration to mark the beginning of a new year, but it is also a festival that celebrates nature's renewal, unity, and a shared heritage.