Ethiopian calendar converter and today’s Ethiopian date
This free Ethiopian calendar converter turns a Gregorian date into the Ethiopian (Ge’ez) calendar date and an Ethiopian date back into the Gregorian calendar. It shows the date in English, in Amharic as it is written on documents — for example ጥቅምት 14 ቀን 2019 ዓ.ም. — and with Ge’ez numerals, together with the weekday, the year of the evangelist, the Amete Alem year, a month calendar and the main feasts of the year.
It is handy for birth certificates, school and government papers, church dates and simply answering “what year is it in Ethiopia?”. Press Today for the current Ethiopian date; everything is calculated in your browser.
How to use the Ethiopian Calendar Converter
- Pick a date in the Gregorian date box, or press Today.
- Or enter the Day, Month and Year in the Ethiopian box to convert an Ethiopian date to the Gregorian calendar.
- Read the result in English, Amharic and Ge’ez numerals, with the year of the evangelist and the Amete Alem year.
- Check the month calendar and the table of feasts — Enkutatash, Meskel, Genna, Timket, Adwa, Siklet and Fasika.
- Press Copy result to paste the conversion into a message or form.
Ethiopian Calendar Converter features
Both directions
Gregorian to Ethiopian and Ethiopian to Gregorian in linked boxes, for Ethiopian years 1600 to 2990.
Amharic and Ge’ez numerals
Month names in Ge’ez script and numbers such as ፳፻፲፱ for 2019, the way dates are written on official papers.
Leap years and Pagume
Pagume, the 13th month, has 6 days in the year before a Gregorian leap year and 5 otherwise; impossible dates are refused.
Feasts of the year
Fixed feasts and the movable Fasika (Easter) and Siklet (Good Friday), with their Gregorian dates.
Checked arithmetic
The self-test compares every day from 1900 to 2100 with the browser’s own Ethiopic calendar.
How the Ethiopian calendar works
The Ethiopian calendar has twelve months of exactly 30 days and a short thirteenth month, Pagume, of five days — six in a leap year. Every fourth year is a leap year without exception, like the old Julian calendar. Because the extra day falls in Pagume at the end of the year, the Ethiopian New Year, Enkutatash (1 Meskerem), is on 11 September in most years and on 12 September in the year before a Gregorian leap year: 12 September 2023 and 12 September 2027, for example.
Years are counted from the Incarnation as calculated by the Alexandrian monk Annianus (Amete Mihret, “Year of Mercy”), which puts the Ethiopian year 7 or 8 behind the Gregorian one: from 11 September 2026 it is 2019 E.C., and from 1 January 2027 the difference becomes 8 years until the next Enkutatash. The older Amete Alem (“Year of the World”) count adds 5500 years. Each year is also named after an evangelist — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in turn — and the Luke year is the leap year.
The conversion uses the arithmetic of Reingold and Dershowitz’s Calendrical Calculations, with the epoch at Julian Day Number 1 724 221 (29 August 8 CE in the Julian calendar). It needs no tables, so it works offline. Other calendars on this site include the Hebrew date converter and the Persian calendar converter.
| Gregorian | Ethiopian date | Feast |
|---|---|---|
| 11 September 2026 | 1 Meskerem 2019 | Enkutatash |
| 27 September 2026 | 17 Meskerem 2019 | Meskel |
| 7 January 2027 | 29 Tahsas 2019 | Genna |
| 19 January 2027 | 11 Tir 2019 | Timket |
| 2 May 2027 | 24 Miyazya 2019 | Fasika |
| 12 September 2027 | 1 Meskerem 2020 | Enkutatash |
Months and feasts
The months are Meskerem, Tikimt, Hidar, Tahsas, Tir, Yekatit, Megabit, Miyazya, Ginbot, Sene, Hamle, Nehase and Pagume (spellings vary: Tekemt, Hedar, Ter, Miazia). Meskel falls on 17 Meskerem, Genna (Christmas) on 29 Tahsas and Timket (Epiphany) on 11 Tir — usually 27 September, 7 January and 19 January, a day later in the year after a six-day Pagume. In those years many churches keep Genna on 7 January, so the page adds a note. Fasika follows the Julian-calendar Easter rule used by the Orthodox churches; for the Western date see the Easter date calculator.
Ethiopian Calendar Converter FAQ
What is the Ethiopian date today?
Press Today. The Ethiopian calendar converter shows today’s date in English, Amharic and Ge’ez numerals.
What year is it in the Ethiopian calendar?
From 11 September 2026 to 10 September 2027 it is 2019 E.C. (Amete Mihret), which is 7519 in the Amete Alem count.
How do I convert an Ethiopian date to Gregorian?
Enter the day, month and year in the Ethiopian box; the Gregorian date appears at once.
Why is the Ethiopian calendar 7 or 8 years behind?
It counts from a different calculation of the year of the Incarnation. The gap is 7 years from Enkutatash to 31 December and 8 years from 1 January to the next Enkutatash.
Why does Enkutatash fall on 12 September in some years?
The extra leap day is added at the end of the Ethiopian year, in Pagume, before the Gregorian leap day, so the new year starts a day later until 29 February has passed.
Does the Ethiopian day start at midnight?
Civil dates are converted from midnight here. Traditional Ethiopian clock time counts hours from dawn (6 a.m.), which does not change the date.