Enkutatash 2026: How to Celebrate Ethiopian New Year in Addis Ababa

Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year, falls on 11 September 2026. It begins the Ethiopian year 2019. It marks the end of the long kiremt rains, and it arrives when the highlands are green and the yellow Adey Abeba daisies are out across the country.

If you are in Addis Ababa in the days around it, you do not need to go anywhere special. The city celebrates around you. What follows is what actually happens, where to be if you want more than that, and what will be shut.

What Enkutatash marks

The first day of Meskerem, the first month of the Ethiopian calendar. On 11 September 2026 Ethiopia moves from 2018 to 2019, because the Ethiopian calendar runs seven to eight years behind the Gregorian one.

The end of the rains. The kiremt runs June to September, and Enkutatash lands as it breaks. That timing is the whole feeling of the holiday: three months of grey, then sun, green hills and flowers.

The Adey Abeba is the yellow daisy that flowers across the highlands at exactly this moment, and it is the emblem of the holiday. Children carry bunches of them.

The name is usually translated as "gift of jewels", and it is popularly linked to the Queen of Sheba's return from Jerusalem. That association is traditional rather than documented, which is worth saying plainly.

What actually happens on the day

Children go door to door in the morning, singing and carrying Adey Abeba and small hand-drawn pictures, and are given small amounts of money or bread. The songs differ for girls and boys, and hearing them start at dawn is the first sign the holiday has arrived.

Bonfires burn on the eve, made of bundled sticks, in many neighbourhoods.

Families eat together. Doro wat and injera, and a coffee ceremony that runs long. Enkutatash falls at the end of a fasting period, so the meat matters.

People wear white. Habesha kemis and netela for many, and the streets look noticeably different for it.

New clothes for children, which is a large part of what the preceding week's shopping is about.

Where to see more than your own street

Raguel Church, on Entoto, holds a significant celebration and is one of the places people specifically go for the day.

Entoto generally, which is where many families head, and the hill above the city is busy in a way it is not on ordinary days.

Jan Meda, the open ground in Addis Ababa used for large gatherings, sees crowds around the major religious dates.

Your hotel and the restaurants will be doing something. This is not a festival that requires a ticket or a viewing position, unlike Timkat at Gondar.

If you want the version with structure and explanation, our cultural experiences guide covers how the Ethiopian festival year fits together, and the festival calendar has the dates.

What will be shut

Enkutatash is a public holiday. Government offices and banks close. Many businesses close or run short hours, and some shut for longer either side.

Plan the practical things around it. Change money before, not during. Do not schedule anything that depends on an office being open. Traffic in Addis Ababa is lighter on the day itself and much heavier in the two or three days before, when everyone is shopping.

Flights and hotels keep running normally, and domestic flights are not disrupted the way they are around Genna and Timkat, because Enkutatash does not concentrate the whole country into two towns.

If you are arriving around it

This is a good week to arrive. The rains have finished, the country is at its greenest, and the light is the best it gets.

It is also the start of the main season, so the northern circuit is open and dry. Our best time to visit guide sets out why September works, and our Addis Ababa itinerary covers the city if you have a day or two.

Meskel follows sixteen days later, on 27 September, with the demera bonfire in Meskel Square on the eve. A trip covering both is a genuinely good three weeks in Ethiopia.

FAQ

When is Ethiopian New Year 2026?

11 September 2026. It is the first day of Meskerem, the first month of the Ethiopian calendar, and it begins the Ethiopian year 2019.

What year does Ethiopia enter in September 2026?

2019. The Ethiopian calendar runs seven to eight years behind the Gregorian one, so Ethiopia moves from 2018 to 2019 on 11 September 2026.

What is Enkutatash?

The Ethiopian New Year, marking the first day of Meskerem and the end of the kiremt rains. It is celebrated with children singing door to door carrying Adey Abeba daisies, bonfires on the eve, family meals of doro wat and injera, and new clothes for children.

Do businesses close for Ethiopian New Year?

Yes. It is a public holiday, so government offices and banks close and many businesses close or run short hours. Change money beforehand and do not schedule anything that needs an office open. Flights and hotels operate normally.

Where is the best place to celebrate Enkutatash in Addis Ababa?

You do not need a specific venue, because the city celebrates around you. Raguel Church on Entoto holds a significant celebration, Entoto generally is busy with families, and Jan Meda sees large gatherings. Restaurants and hotels all mark it.

What is Adey Abeba?

The yellow daisy that flowers across the Ethiopian highlands in September, at exactly the time of Enkutatash. It is the emblem of the holiday, and children carry bunches of the flowers when they go singing.

Is September a good time to visit Ethiopia?

Yes. The kiremt rains end in September, the highlands are green, and the light is at its best. It is also the start of the main season for the northern circuit, and Meskel follows on 27 September.

Is Enkutatash a religious holiday?

It is both. It is the civil New Year and it carries religious observance, and it falls at the end of a fasting period, which is why the meal on the day matters. It is celebrated across the country rather than being tied to one town.

Ask us to build the week around it

Arriving for Enkutatash puts you in Ethiopia at the greenest point of the year, and Meskel follows two and a half weeks later.

Tell us your dates and we will tell you what is open, what is shut and what fits either side. We reply within a maximum of two hours, and you will have a detailed itinerary and a quote within 24 hours.