Enkutatash — Ethiopian New Year 2019 E.C.

Enkutatash ('gift of jewels') is Ethiopian New Year — Meskerem 1 in the Ethiopian calendar — welcoming the year 2019 E.C. on 11 September 2026, just as the rains end and the hills turn gold with adey abeba daisies. Expect morning church services, families sharing doro wat and injera, and children singing 'Abebayehosh' door to door with bouquets of flowers; hotels and cultural restaurants across Addis put on special New Year programs. It's a public holiday, so many businesses close, and the festive buildup in markets like Shola and Merkato in the preceding days is a spectacle in itself.

Events in Addis change often — confirm with the organizer before heading out.