The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, commonly known as Ethiopia, is bordered by countries such as Somalia, Kenya, and South Sudan. Ethiopian culture is rich with many festivals and religious ceremonies. Public holidays in Ethiopia consist of national and religious holidays.
As a traveler, you’re probably wondering how you can experience these cultural holidays or at the very least, time them with your own. Celebrations in Ethiopia are unique and colorful events. They are mostly religious and they frequently take place over several days, some even among local Ethiopian tribes residing in the Lower Omo Valley.
Here's a glimpse into some of the most significant holidays and festivals in Ethiopia:
Religious Holidays
Most of the religious holidays in Ethiopia are aligned with the holidays followed by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, such as the Ethiopian Good Friday, Ethiopian Easter, and Ethiopian Christmas. Unlike other Christians, Ethiopians celebrate their Christmas on a different date, later than most Christians do. Ethiopian Christmas is held every 7th of January, similar to Orthodox Christmas. It is usually marked with a traditional game called Gaana in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, Epiphany or the visit of the three kings, is locally known as Timket.
Genna (Ethiopian Christmas)
Genna (also called Liddet) is the Ethiopian equivalent of Christmas, celebrated on the 7th of January every year. Genna comes from the word Gennana, meaning “imminent” to express the coming of the Lord and freeing of mankind from sin. The actual Genna celebration is preceded by a night long Vigil following 40 days of fasting where meat, egg and dairy products are forbidden. During Christmas Eve, there is a church service that runs through the night until 9am. The end of the mass service then heralds the beginning of the Genna celebration and the conclusion of the fasting period of Advent locally known as Tsome Gehad. Doro Wote, a spicy chicken stew, is typically the first post-fasting meal.
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Genna is mainly a family-oriented holiday and people in the countryside still maintain the tradition of playing Yegenna Chewata, a hockey-like game, following the prior evenings service. Yegenna Chewata, according to tradition, is believed to have been played by the shepherds on the night Jesus was born. Genna, the Ethiipian Christmas, falls on January 7th (Gregorian calendar) and people in towns and villages dress up in their finest to celebrate.
Christmas festivities begin early in the morning as early as 6: 00 am when people gather in Churches for mass. Afterward, Ethiopians disperse to their homes to feast. Genna is quietly shared and celebrated in groups of friends and family. Food served include Doro Wat, a spicy chicken stew and Injera, sourdough pancake-like bread.
An Ethiopian Christmas Dinner.
Timket (Ethiopian Epiphany)
Celebrating the Baptism of Christ every January 19th (20th during a leap year), The Timket Festival in Ethiopia is the greatest and most colorful festival of the Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia which celebrates the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist. This festival commemorates the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the river Jordan and is the most colourful festival of the year.
The eve of the Timket is marked by another celebration called Ketera, which sees the Tabots of each church carried out in procession to a river or pool of water where the next day’s celebration takes place. What makes this three-day festival so unique is that it's the only time when the Tabot - a replica of the Ark of the Covenant containing the Ten Commandments - is taken out from the churches across the country. Covered by an ornamental cloth, accompanied by songs, blowing of trumpets and burning incense, the Tabot will be taken to a tent, close to a pool or stream.
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Tabots are kept in a tent while the priests hold a vigil through the night, lighting candles and oil lamps. Most followers do not go home, and they spend the night praying, singing and dancing. The prayers, dancing and music continues the following day. The pool or stream is then blessed and sprinkled on believers. Everyone will fight to touch the water and share the blessing. The Tabots are then returned to their respective churches in the same manner they were brought out, except for St Michael's Tabot which remains until the following day. The best place to be during Timkat experience is Gondar, where the festivities culminate in a crowded and colourful afternoon at the 17th century Fasilides' Bath, which is filled with water for the occasion.
Fasilides' Bath in Gondar.
Ethiopian Epiphany: Timket Celebration 2025
Fasika (Ethiopian Easter)
Good Friday in Orthodox Church is the last Friday before the Orthodox Easter Sunday. Fasika is celebrated after 55 day-period of fasting (Abye Tsome or Hudade). People go to church on Easter eve and celebrate with candles which are lit during a colorful Easter mass service which begins at about 6 pm and ends at about 2 am. Fasila is colorfully celebrated at Axum and Lalibela and everyone goes back home to break the feast with chicken or lamb.
Meskel Festival
The Meskel Festival is one of Ethiopia’s major Orthodox festivals. It is celebrated for two days beginning September 26th. Meskel is one of the biggest religious festivals among Ethiopian Orthodox followers that commemorates a fourth century event where Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, discovered the True Cross on which Christ was crucified. This festival is also registered with UNESCO as an element of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The mother of Constantine the Great, Queen Helena, in the year 326 discovered the cross upon which Christ was crucified. This holiday is a unique holiday that commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by Queen Helena in the fourth century. Dimera is the first occasion in which bonfires are built topped by a cross to which flowers are tied, and at the closing of Dimera, a rain shower is expected to fall to help extinguish the fire. Meskel is colorfully celebrated and the festival coincides with the mass blooming of the golden yellow meskel daisies.
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The centrepiece of this unique festival is the lighting of a massive conical bonfire called a Damera and all the dancing and feasting surrounding it. The largest Meskel gathering takes place in Addis Ababa’s Meskel Square, where hundreds of thousands of people, both locals and tourists, gather to watch the colourfully dressed priests chant, pray and dance.
The Meskel Festival Bonfire.
National Holidays
The national holiday in Ethiopia is observed every March 2nd. Labor Day is celebrated every 1st of May to remember the efforts of the International Labour Movement. Another national holiday in Ethiopia, the Downfall of the Derg is observed every May 28th.
Enkutatash (Ethiopian New Year)
September 12 is the first day of the Ethiopian calendar. The holiday is also known as Enkutatash (local Ethiopian language). At the end of the long spring rains when the Highlands are covered with wildflowers, the Ethiopian New Year celebrates both the New Year and the feast of John the Baptist. Children dressed in brand-new clothes dance through the villages giving bouquets and painted pictures to each household.
Enkutatash simply means the “gift of jewels’ ‘, when the Queen of Sheba arrived from her journey to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem. Upon arrival, her Chiefs welcomed her back by replenishing her treasury with jewels, or enku. The Spring festival in Ethiopia has been celebrated since the early times.
The Ethiopian New Year, which is eight years behind the Gregorian calendar, falls on the date that the Queen of Sheba allegedly arrived back in Axum after visiting King Solomon in Jerusalem. In many places, children dressed in new clothes dance through the neighbourhood, distributing paintings (mainly of angles). They will in turn be given bread or money in return for their New Year wish. During New Year's Eve, torches of dry wood are burned in front of houses while the crowds sing and dance.
Other Celebrations
Muslim Holidays
Eid Al Fitr is the Festival of Breaking the Fast. Another important festival among Muslims, Eid Al Adha, also called variously as Eid ul Adha, Eid-ul-Azha, Id-ul-Zuha, Hari Raya Haji or Bakr-id - is the ‘Feast of Sacrifice’. Moulin is Celebrated by Muslims during the month of Rabiulawal. This is the third month of the Muslim calendar.
Ethiopian Calendar
Ethiopia is a country apart from the rest of the world… literally. They have their own calendar so while other countries are currently in 2020, Ethiopia is still in the year 2012, having celebrated their new year last September 2019. Their holidays are also unique and while it is possible to celebrate regular holidays like International Labor Day and Eid el Fitr, the rest of their holidays are significantly different. Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar with 12 months of 30 days each and a 13th month of 5 days (6 in a leap year). It's for this reason that Ethiopia has been nick-named 'the country with 13 months of sunshine'.
List of Public Holidays in Ethiopia
Here is a table of some public holidays in Ethiopia:
| Holiday | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ethiopian Christmas (Genna) | January 7 | Celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. |
| Timket (Epiphany) | January 19 (or 20 in leap year) | Celebration of the baptism of Jesus Christ. |
| Victory of Adwa | March 2 | Commemorates the Ethiopian victory over Italian colonial forces in 1896. |
| Good Friday | Varies (Friday before Ethiopian Easter) | Religious holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. |
| Ethiopian Easter (Fasika) | Varies (usually in April or May) | Celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. |
| Labor Day | May 1 | Celebration of workers' contributions and achievements. |
| Downfall of the Derg | May 28 | Commemorates the end of the Derg junta in 1991. |
| Eid al-Fitr | Varies (based on the Islamic calendar) | Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan. |
| Eid al-Adha | Varies (based on the Islamic calendar) | Muslim holiday commemorating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. |
| Enkutatash (Ethiopian New Year) | September 12 | Celebration of the Ethiopian New Year. |
| Meskel | September 27 | Commemoration of the discovery of the True Cross. |
Experience Ethiopian Culture
Knowing the exact dates of the holidays in Ethiopia in the Gregorian calendar can help tourists who plan to visit and celebrate their own holidays with Ethiopians. Incorporate any of the amazing festivals above if your travel dates allow. The Great Ethiopian Run is one of the biggest and the best-known running events in Africa. Taking place on the last or second to last Sunday of November, it attracts an increasing number of runners every year. In 2017, there were 44,000 participants, including hundreds of elite runners.
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