It is still 2005 in Ethiopia

A calendar is a system that defines date, month and year.

A calendar not only helps its users to identify the day, but also keeps them abreast of upcoming events and appointments. It also helps them to efficiently manage time. There are various types of calendars used by different societies around the world. The Gregorian calendar, which is also used in Uganda, is the international civil calendar.

However, many countries use two calendars. The Gregorian calendar is for official use and the traditional calendars for setting religious and festival dates. Nevertheless, some countries like Ethiopia still use their traditional calendar only.

Ethiopia has its own ancient calendar. The Ethiopian calendar has more in common with the Coptic Egyptian calendar. The Ethiopic and Coptic calendars have 13 months, 12 of 30 days each and an intercalary month at the end of the year, of five or six days, depending on whether it is a leap year or not.

It is much influenced by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which follows its ancient calendar rules and beliefs. The calendar is between 7-8 years behind the Gregorian calendar. As such, it is 2005 in Ethiopia currently.

For more on Global calendar