Why is ethiopian calendar behind by 7 years?

Question: Why is ethiopian calendar behind by 7 years?

If you ever travel to Ethiopia, you might be surprised to find out that you have travelled back in time. Not literally, of course, but according to the Ethiopian calendar, which is seven to eight years behind the Gregorian calendar used by most of the world. How did this happen and what does it mean for the Ethiopian culture and identity? Let's find out.

The Ethiopian calendar is based on the ancient Coptic calendar, which was introduced by the Egyptian Church in the 4th century AD. The Coptic calendar itself was derived from the ancient Egyptian calendar, which followed a solar cycle of 365 days. However, unlike the Gregorian calendar, which adds a leap day every four years, the Coptic calendar adds a leap day every four years after a 29-day month at the end of the year. This means that the Coptic year has 365 or 366 days, depending on whether it is a leap year or not.

The Ethiopian calendar follows the same structure as the Coptic calendar, but with a slight difference in the calculation of the date of the birth of Jesus Christ, which is used as the starting point for both calendars. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church believes that Jesus Christ was born in 7 BC, based on a prophecy in the Book of Daniel that predicted his birth after 5500 years from the creation of the world. According to the Ethiopian tradition, Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden for seven years before they were expelled for their sins, and God promised to save them after 5500 years if they repented. Therefore, the Ethiopian calendar counts 5500 years from 7 BC to AD 1, and then continues counting from AD 1 onwards.

The Gregorian calendar, on the other hand, was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 as a reform of the Julian calendar, which was used by most of Europe since the Roman times. The Julian calendar also followed a solar cycle of 365 days, but added a leap day every four years without any exceptions. This resulted in a slight discrepancy between the Julian year and the actual solar year, which accumulated over time and caused the seasons to drift. To correct this error, Pope Gregory XIII decreed that 10 days should be dropped from the Julian calendar in October 1582, and that a leap day should be added only in years that are divisible by four and not divisible by 100, unless they are also divisible by 400. This made the Gregorian year more accurate and aligned with the astronomical observations.

However, not all countries adopted the Gregorian calendar immediately. Some countries resisted the change for religious or political reasons, and some countries switched at different times. For example, Britain and its colonies did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1752, when they had to drop 11 days from September. Russia did not switch until 1918, after the Bolshevik Revolution. Greece was the last European country to adopt the Gregorian calendar in 1923.

Ethiopia, being an independent country that was never colonized by any foreign power, and having a strong religious identity that was influenced by its ancient ties with Egypt and Jerusalem, did not accept the Gregorian calendar and continued to use its own calendar system. This created a gap of seven to eight years between Ethiopia and most of the world. For example, when Ethiopia celebrated its new millennium on September 11, 2007, it was still 1999 according to the Gregorian calendar.

The Ethiopian calendar is not just a way of measuring time, but also a reflection of Ethiopia's rich culture and heritage. The names of the months and days are derived from Ge'ez, an ancient Semitic language that is still used as a liturgical language by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The months are named after religious festivals or historical events, such as Meskerem (the first month), which means "the month of forgiveness", or Tahsas (the fourth month), which means "the month of incarnation". The days are named after biblical figures or events, such as Ehud (the first day), which means "the first day" when God created light, or Qen (the fifth day), which means "the day of grace" when Noah's ark rested on Mount Ararat.

The Ethiopian calendar also has its own unique celebrations and traditions that are based on its religious and historical background. For example, Enkutatash (the first day of Meskerem) is celebrated as both the New Year and the commemoration of Queen Sheba's return from Jerusalem after visiting King Solomon. Timkat (the 11th day of Tir) is celebrated as both Epiphany and.

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