Ethiopian Calendar Converter (Ethiopian ↔ Gregorian Date)
Convert dates between the Gregorian and Ethiopian calendars: Ethiopian year, the 13 months with Amharic names, Pagume leap days and Enkutatash (Ethiopian New Year) for any date from 1800 to 2199.
How it works
Day number = 1,724,220 + 365 × (year − 1) + ⌊year ÷ 4⌋ + 30 × (month − 1) + day · 12 months of 30 days + Pagume of 5 days (6 when year mod 4 = 3) · year = ⌊(4 × (day number − 1,724,221) + 1,463) ÷ 1,461⌋ · epoch: 29 August 8 CE (Julian), Amete Mihret era
Ethiopia's official calendar has twelve months of exactly 30 days plus a short thirteenth month, Pagume, of five days — six in the year before a Gregorian leap year. Its leap rule is the Julian one (every fourth year), and its era counts from an earlier estimate of the Annunciation, so the Ethiopian year is 7 or 8 years behind the Gregorian: Enkutatash, the Ethiopian New Year on 1 Meskerem, falls on September 11, or September 12 before a Gregorian leap year. The same structure is used by the Coptic calendar with a different era.
Worked example
Thursday, October 8, 2026: the Ethiopian year 2019 began with Enkutatash on Friday, September 11, 2026, so October 8 is the 28th day of the first month — 28 Meskerem 2019 (መስከረም 28 2019 ዓ.ም.), 7 years behind the Gregorian year. Year 2019 is a leap year, so Pagume has 6 days and the next New Year falls on September 12, 2027.
Sources: Reingold & Dershowitz, Calendrical Calculations, ch. 4 — Coptic and Ethiopic Calendars · Encyclopaedia Britannica — Ethiopian calendar
Frequently asked questions
What year is it in Ethiopia?
From September 11, 2026 to September 11, 2027 it is the Ethiopian year 2019 — seven years behind the Gregorian calendar from September to December and eight years behind from January to early September.
Why does the Ethiopian calendar have 13 months?
Twelve months of 30 days make 360 days, so a 13th month, Pagume, adds the remaining 5 days (6 in leap years) to complete the solar year.
When is Ethiopian Christmas?
Genna, Ethiopian Christmas, is 29 Tahsas, which corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar (28 Tahsas in the year before an Ethiopian leap year, so that it stays on January 7).
When is Ethiopian New Year?
Enkutatash, 1 Meskerem, falls on September 11, or on September 12 in the year before a Gregorian leap year (for example September 12, 2027).
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