section_path: New Year's Day
section_name: New Year's Day
paragraph_text: New Year's Day
  
  The Ethiopian New Year is called Kudus Yohannes in Geʽez and Tigrinya, while in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, it is called Enkutatash meaning "gift of jewels". It occurs on 11 September in the Gregorian calendar; except for the year preceding a leap year, when it occurs on 12 September. The Ethiopian Calendar Year 1998 Amätä Məhrät ("Year of Mercy") began on Gregorian calendar 11 September 2005. The Ethiopian calendar years 1992 and 1996, however, began on the Gregorian dates of 12 September in 1999 and 2003 respectively.
  
  This date correspondence applies for Gregorian years 1900 to 2099. The Ethiopian calendar leap year is every four without exception, while Gregorian centurial years are only leap years when exactly divisible by 400; thus, a set of corresponding dates will most often apply for a single century. As the Gregorian year 2000 is a leap year, the current correspondence lasts two centuries instead.
  
  The start of the year (the Feast of El-Nayrouz) falls on 29 or 30 August (on the year just before the Julian leap year). This date corresponds to the Old-Style Julian calendar; the start of the year has been transferred forward in the currently used Gregorian calendar to 11 or 12 September (on the year just before the Gregorian leap year). This deviation between the Julian and the Gregorian Calendar will increase with the passing of the time.
  
  The Ethiopian calendar, known locally as "የኢትዮጵያ ዘመን አቆጣጠር", stands apart from the Gregorian calendar used globally. With 13 months instead of 12, it includes 12 months of 30 days each plus a short 5- or 6-day month (Pagume) at the end. Additionally, Ethiopia follows a 7- to 8-year difference from the Gregorian calendar due to alternate calculations of the Annunciation. This ancient system, rooted in Coptic Christian traditions, preserves Ethiopia’s rich cultural identity and remains in daily use for religious events, festivals, and agricultural cycles.