New Year /Enkutatash

Ethiopia still retains the Julian calendar, in which the year is divided into 12 months of 30 days each and a 13th month of 5 days and 6 days in leap year. The Ethiopian calendar is 8 years behind the Gregorian calendar from January to September and 7 years behind between September 11 and January 8.

But Enkutatash is not exclusively a religious holiday. Today's Enkutatash is also the season for exchanging formal New Year greetings and cards among the urban sophisticated - in lieu or the traditional bouquet of flowers.