Festivals in Ethiopia

Many different festivals are celebrated in Ethiopia every year, including those related to the Orthodox Christian Church and Islamic celebrations, as well as secular events such as the new year.

The main festivals that may be of interest to tourists are listed here. Because Ethiopia uses the Julian calendar, the dates can vary by a day or so each year. Some Muslim holiday dates also vary because they depend on the lunar cycle. All the holidays and feast-days mentioned here are public holidays unless stated otherwise. Goverment offices, banks and most businesses close on public holidays.

Date	Festival	Information
September 10th or 11th	Enkutatash (New Year)	The Ethiopian New Year falls in September of the Gregorian Calendar, which is the month of Meskerem in the Julian calendar still used in Ethiopia.
September 27th or 28th	Meskel (Finding of the True Cross)	Orthodox Christian feast-day to celebrate the finding of The True Cross by Empress Eleni of Turkey. Communities have bonfires and the striking yellow Meskel daisies appear in fields everywhere.
October 1 (in 2008)	Eid ul-Fitr (end of Ramadan)	Muslim celebration of the end of the Ramadan fasting period. The exact date is announced near the time.
January 7th or 8th	Gena (Christmas)	Orthodox Christian Christmas Day, celebrated in all parts of Ethiopia but particularly special in Lalibela.
January 18th or 19th	Timkat (Epiphany)	Orthodox Christian celebration of the Baptism of Christ, celebrated in all parts of the country but particularly special in Gondar.
March 9th (in 2009)	Mowleid (Birth of the Prophet)	Muslim holiday celebrated in many parts of Ethiopia.
April 17th (in 2009)	Sek'elet (Good Friday)	Orthodox Christian day, the start of the Easter weekend.
April 19th (in 2009)	Fasika (Easter)	Easter Sunday, the end of the Lenten fast for Orthodox Christians.
May 1st	International Labour Day	A national holiday, marked with ceremonies in some towns.
July 26th or 27th	Kulubi Gabriel	Orthodox Christian feast-day in honour of St. Gabriel - people make a pilgrimage to Kulubi, near Harar. This day is not a public holiday.