What year is it in Ethiopia now?

As of August 20, 2026, the Ethiopian year is 2018 — the new year 2019 begins on September 11, 2026.

How many months does the Ethiopian calendar have?

Thirteen — twelve months of exactly 30 days, plus Pagume, a short 13th month of 5 or 6 days.

Ethiopian Calendar Converter — 13 Months, 7 Years "Behind"

Ethiopia keeps its own calendar: 13 months (twelve months of 30 days plus the short month of Pagume), a new year in September, and a year count 7–8 years behind the Gregorian calendar. Today, for example, August 20, 2026 is Nehase 14, 2018 in Ethiopia.

How the Ethiopian calendar works

Each of the twelve months — Meskerem, Tikimt, Hidar, Tahsas, Tir, Yekatit, Megabit, Miyazya, Ginbot, Sene, Hamle and Nehase — has exactly 30 days. The 13th month, Pagume, has 5 days (6 in leap years). The Ethiopian New Year, Enkutatash, falls on September 11 (September 12 after a leap year).

Why is Ethiopia 7 years behind?

The Ethiopian Church kept the older Alexandrian calculation of the year of the Annunciation, which differs from the medieval European calculation by about seven years. Neither is "wrong" — they are two ancient traditions counting from different starting points.

Convert any date instantly

The free Senbete app converts any Gregorian date to the Ethiopian calendar (and shows whether it's a fasting day) — verified against 200 years of dates. It works in Amharic and English, on any phone, even offline.

📱 Senbete — free Ethiopian Orthodox calendar app in Amharic & English. Fasting alerts, feast days, date converter. Works offline. Open senbete.com and add it to your home screen.