“Somewhere We Can Go Back in Time”: Ethiopia Welcomes New Year 2019 With Ancient Tradition

• Ethiopia officially welcomed the year 2019 on 11 September 2026, celebrating its New Year known as Enkutatash
• The East African country follows a unique 13-month calendar that runs seven to eight years behind the Gregorian system
• People across Africa were stunned to learn Ethiopia is in 2019, with many joking they wanted to move there to turn back time

Ethiopia rang in its New Year on 11 September 2026, but not the one the rest of the world knows. The country celebrated the arrival of 2019. The occasion, known as Enkutatash, marks the end of Ethiopia's long rainy season, when golden adey abeba flowers burst into bloom across the highland landscapes.

The name itself translates to "gift of jewels," and the holiday is traditionally marked with family feasts, singing, and festivities that stretch into the celebration of Meskel.

Why Ethiopia is in 2019

The reason for the gap lies in Ethiopia's ancient calendar, which calculates the birth of Christ differently from the Gregorian system used by most of the world. The Ethiopian calendar is structured around 13 months — twelve months of 30 days each, and a short 13th month of either five or six days. This places the country seven to eight years behind the global calendar, making Enkutatash fall on 11 September each year.

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The holiday marks not just a new year but the close of a rainy season and the beginning of a bright, festive period leading up to Meskel. When the African Folder Facebook page shared the story on 11 September 2026, readers across the continent could barely believe what they were reading.

The Science Behind Ethiopia’s 7-Year Delay

Ethiopia runs seven to eight years behind the standard Gregorian calendar primarily due to alternate calculations regarding the biblical chronology of the Annunciation of Jesus Christ. According to ethiopiancalendar.net, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church calculates the announcement of Christ's birth to have occurred years later than Western Christian traditions suggest, leading to a fundamental shift in their starting timeline. Additionally, the country adheres closely to the ancient Julian calendar's leap-year rules and early Church teachings, preserving a unique 13-month structure that reflects its deep-rooted cultural and religious heritage.

See the Facebook post that shocked viewers below:

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Africans React to Ethiopia's 2019 New Year

For many commenters, the idea of living in 2019 again, younger on paper and before years of global turbulence, was too tempting to resist. Ethiopia, it seems, just became everyone's most desirable relocation destination. The post sparked a wave of humour and curiosity, with commenters doing the mental arithmetic on their own ages and dreaming of a way to rewind the clock:

@Sindie Mavundla said:

"I'm 32 years old this year according to the calendar of Ethiopia."

@Amira Abdullahi joked:

"Finally, I have seen somewhere we can go back in time 😂."

@Nkosikhona Maarnzin pleaded:

"Someone from there, please adopt me; I will be your loyal servant."

@Oheneba MultiMuslim declared:

"That's the real calendar 💯🙏."

@Oluwatimileyin Silver wrote:

"Happy New Year, my people. I may carry my bags and come there in case my age goes backwards."

@Alvinah Motshidisi asked:

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Source: Briefly News