Merry Christmas (Melkam Gena) to Ethiopians celebrating today 7 January!
In Ethiopia the current year isn’t 2026 – it is 2018 because Ethiopian calendar calculates the date of the birth of Jesus Christ 7-8 years earlier! Ethiopians follow the Julian calendar, which runs 13 days later than the Gregorian calendar used by Catholic and Protestant churches and celebrate Christmas on this day, not December 25th, like in most Orthodox churches such as Russia, Serbia, etc. This day is a public holiday, a day off for the general population, schools and most businesses. Ethiopians celebrate Christmas with their neighbours, friends and families, and many of them attend church.
©®@ Dr. Omega mwondha son of the soil Africa
