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Published August 6, 2026
Ethiopia uses its own calendar — about 7-8 years behind the Gregorian calendar, with 13 months instead of 12 — and its own set of major public holidays, most tied to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church calendar rather than fixed Gregorian dates. If you’re planning a trip around a specific date, this affects you more than it might seem.
Why it matters for your trip
A few practical effects, in order of how often they catch people out:
- Banks and government offices close on public holidays — don’t plan a visa extension, bank transaction, or paperwork errand for one of these days.
- Some restaurants change their menu during Orthodox fasting periods (notably the weeks before Fasika/Easter): fully vegan (“fasting”) menus become the norm at many traditional restaurants, which is worth knowing whether you want to seek it out or plan around it.
- The biggest festivals are genuinely worth experiencing — Timkat (Epiphany) and Meskel in particular involve large public processions and celebrations that are reason enough on their own to time a trip around, if you’re interested.
The holidays to know
- Enkutatash — Ethiopian New Year, in September.
- Meskel — Finding of the True Cross, late September, marked with large bonfire ceremonies.
- Genna — Ethiopian Christmas, in January.
- Timkat — Epiphany, in January, one of the largest public festivals.
- Fasika — Orthodox Easter, on a different date from Western Easter most years.
Because these follow the Ethiopian calendar and, for some, the Orthodox lunar calculation, the Gregorian date shifts from year to year — don’t rely on last year’s date.
Get the actual dates before you book
Rather than list specific dates here (which would be wrong within a year), use the site’s own tools for the current year:
- Ethiopian Public Holidays — every major holiday with its Gregorian date, for any year.
- Ethiopian Date Converter — convert any date between the two calendars, both directions.
Check these against your actual travel dates while you’re still planning, not after you’ve booked flights.