{"id":15779,"date":"2026-11-09T13:45:46","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T13:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/?p=15779"},"modified":"2026-11-09T13:45:46","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T13:45:46","slug":"ethiopian-holidays-2026-2027-dates-genna-timket-fasika-meskel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/15779","title":{"rendered":"Ethiopian Holidays (\u12e8\u12a2\u1275\u12ee\u1335\u12eb \u1260\u12d3\u120b\u1275) 2026 and 2027: Dates for Genna, Timket, Fasika and Meskel"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n

The next big Ethiopian holidays (\u12e8\u12a2\u1275\u12ee\u1335\u12eb \u1260\u12d3\u120b\u1275) are Hidar Tsion on Monday, November 30, 2026, Genna (Ethiopian Christmas) on Thursday, January 7, 2027, and Timket on Tuesday, January 19, 2027. Fasika (Ethiopian Easter) falls on Sunday, May 2, 2027. The Ethiopian New Year, Enkutatash, comes on Sunday, September 12, 2027, and Meskel follows on Tuesday, September 28.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This page lists the main religious, national and cultural holidays for the Ethiopian year 2019, which runs from September 2026 to September 2027. Each date is converted from the Ethiopian calendar and matches the public holiday list for Ethiopia on timeanddate.com<\/a>. Muslim holiday dates depend on the moon, so they are marked as tentative.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Ethiopian Holidays, November 2026 to September 2027<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Holiday<\/th>Amharic<\/th>Ethiopian date<\/th>Gregorian date<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Hidar Tsion<\/td>\u1285\u12f3\u122d \u133d\u12ee\u1295<\/td>Hidar 21, 2019<\/td>Monday, November 30, 2026<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Genna (Christmas)<\/td>\u1308\u1293<\/td>Tahsas 29, 2019<\/td>Thursday, January 7, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Ketera (Timket eve)<\/td>\u12a8\u1270\u122b<\/td>Tir 10, 2019<\/td>Monday, January 18, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Timket (Epiphany)<\/td>\u1325\u121d\u1240\u1275<\/td>Tir 11, 2019<\/td>Tuesday, January 19, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Adwa Victory Day<\/td>\u12e8\u12d3\u12f5\u12cb \u12f5\u120d \u1260\u12d3\u120d<\/td>Yekatit 23, 2019<\/td>Tuesday, March 2, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Start of Abiy Tsom (Lent)<\/td>\u12d0\u1262\u12ed \u133e\u121d<\/td>Yekatit 29, 2019<\/td>Monday, March 8, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Eid al Fitr (tentative)<\/td>\u12d2\u12f5 \u12a0\u120d \u1348\u1325\u122d<\/td>depends on the moon<\/td>about Wednesday, March 10, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Hosanna (Palm Sunday)<\/td>\u1206\u1233\u12d5\u1293<\/td>Miyazia 17, 2019<\/td>Sunday, April 25, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Siklet (Good Friday)<\/td>\u1235\u1245\u1208\u1275<\/td>Miyazia 22, 2019<\/td>Friday, April 30, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
International Labour Day<\/td>\u12e8\u1220\u122b\u1270\u129e\u127d \u1240\u1295<\/td>Miyazia 23, 2019<\/td>Saturday, May 1, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Fasika (Easter)<\/td>\u134b\u1232\u12ab<\/td>Miyazia 24, 2019<\/td>Sunday, May 2, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Patriots\u2019 Victory Day<\/td>\u12e8\u12a0\u122d\u1260\u129e\u127d \u1240\u1295<\/td>Miyazia 27, 2019<\/td>Wednesday, May 5, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Eid al Adha (tentative)<\/td>\u12d2\u12f5 \u12a0\u120d \u12a0\u12f5\u1210<\/td>depends on the moon<\/td>about Monday, May 17, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Mawlid (tentative)<\/td>\u1218\u12cd\u120a\u12f5<\/td>depends on the moon<\/td>about Sunday, August 15, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Buhe<\/td>\u1261\u1204<\/td>Nehase 13, 2019<\/td>Thursday, August 19, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Enkutatash (New Year 2020)<\/td>\u12a5\u1295\u1241\u1323\u1323\u123d<\/td>Meskerem 1, 2020<\/td>Sunday, September 12, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Demera (Meskel eve)<\/td>\u12f0\u1218\u122b<\/td>Meskerem 16, 2020<\/td>Monday, September 27, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n
Meskel<\/td>\u1218\u1235\u1240\u120d<\/td>Meskerem 17, 2020<\/td>Tuesday, September 28, 2027<\/td><\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Genna, Timket, Adwa Victory Day, Eid al Fitr, Siklet, Labour Day, Fasika, Patriots\u2019 Victory Day, Eid al Adha, Mawlid, Enkutatash and Meskel appear as public holidays on the timeanddate.com list for 2027. Hidar Tsion, Ketera, Hosanna, Buhe and Demera are church and community feasts, not national days off.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

How the Ethiopian Calendar Sets the Dates<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Ethiopian calendar has 12 months of 30 days each. A short thirteenth month, Pagume (\u1333\u1309\u121c\u1295), has five days, or six days every fourth year, according to Wikipedia<\/a>. Ethiopian year numbers run seven or eight years behind the Gregorian count, so 2019 began on September 11, 2026.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The year 2019 is a leap year in the Ethiopian calendar, so Pagume has six days in 2027. For this reason, the New Year 2020 falls on September 12, 2027, not September 11. Meskel moves with it to September 28.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Most church feasts keep a fixed Ethiopian date, so their Gregorian date moves by one day only around leap years. Fasika is different. It follows the eastern method of counting Easter, so it can move by several weeks from year to year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Hidar Tsion: November 30, 2026<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Hidar Tsion (\u1285\u12f3\u122d \u133d\u12ee\u1295) honors Saint Mary of Zion. The center of the feast is the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion<\/a> in Aksum, which Wikipedia describes as the holiest church of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The church says it holds the Ark of the Covenant. It is a major place of pilgrimage on Hidar 21, which falls on November 30 in most years.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Genna: January 7, 2027<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Genna (\u1308\u1293) is the Ethiopian Christmas, held on Tahsas 29. Orthodox believers first keep a 43 day fast called Tsome Nebiyat, the Fast of the Prophets, Wikipedia notes<\/a>. On Christmas Eve, many people attend a church service that lasts through the night. Many wear the white cotton netela on the day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The holiday also gives its name to gena, a traditional stick and ball game of the highlands. Two teams hit a wooden ball with sticks on an open field between villages.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Ketera and Timket: January 18 and 19, 2027<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Timket (\u1325\u121d\u1240\u1275) celebrates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. On the eve, called Ketera, priests carry the tabot, a model of the Ark of the Covenant, from each church to a pool or river. People pray through the night. Then the water is blessed at dawn and sprinkled on the crowd, Wikipedia<\/a> says.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Later in the day, the tabot returns to its church in a long procession with hymns and dancing. UNESCO added Timket, which it calls Ethiopian Epiphany, to its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity<\/a> in 2019. In Gondar, the celebration takes place at the bath of Emperor Fasilides.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Adwa Victory Day: March 2, 2027<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Adwa Victory Day marks the Battle of Adwa. Ethiopian forces under Emperor Menelik II defeated an Italian colonial army led by General Oreste Baratieri near the town of Adwa, Wikipedia records<\/a>. The battle took place on March 1, 1896. Ethiopia marks it on Yekatit 23, which falls on March 2 in the current calendar. In 2027 the country will mark the 131st anniversary.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Abiy Tsom, Hosanna, Siklet and Fasika<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Fasika (\u134b\u1232\u12ab) is a bigger feast than Christmas in the Ethiopian church. It comes after Abiy Tsom, the great Lent of 55 days, when believers eat no meat or animal products, Wikipedia<\/a> says. In 2027, Lent starts on Monday, March 8.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Hosanna, or Palm Sunday, falls on April 25. Siklet, the Good Friday service, falls on April 30. The main Easter service is held on Saturday night and ends after midnight. Then families break the fast, and the feast continues on Sunday, May 2.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Eid al Fitr, Eid al Adha and Mawlid<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Three Muslim holidays are public holidays in Ethiopia. Eid al Fitr ends the fasting month of Ramadan. Eid al Adha is the feast of sacrifice. Mawlid marks the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Islamic calendar follows the moon, so these holidays move about 11 days earlier each year. Timeanddate.com lists tentative dates of March 10, May 17 and August 15, 2027. Final dates depend on the sighting of the new moon.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Labour Day and Patriots\u2019 Victory Day<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

International Labour Day on May 1 is a national holiday in Ethiopia. Patriots\u2019 Victory Day follows on May 5, which is Miyazia 27 in the Ethiopian calendar. In 2027, Labour Day falls one day before Fasika.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Summer Feasts: Buhe and Ashenda<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Buhe<\/a> (\u1261\u1204) falls on Nehase 13, or August 19, and marks the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor. Boys go from house to house singing \u201cHoya Hoye\u201d and receive fresh bread called mulmul.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Ashenda<\/a> (\u12a0\u1238\u1295\u12f3) is a festival of women and girls in August. Girls wear the tall ashenda grass, sing and dance from house to house, and receive small gifts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Enkutatash and Meskel: September 2027<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Enkutatash<\/a> (\u12a5\u1295\u1241\u1323\u1323\u123d) is the Ethiopian New Year on Meskerem 1. The name means \u201cgift of jewels\u201d in Amharic. Tradition links it to the return of the Queen of Sheba from Jerusalem. Girls in new clothes carry Adey Abeba flowers and sing \u201cAbebaye Hoy,\u201d and many families share doro wat<\/a> on the day. Other communities also hold their own new year festivals in this season, such as Gifaataa<\/a>, the Wolaita New Year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Meskel<\/a> (\u1218\u1235\u1240\u120d) celebrates the finding of the True Cross by Queen Eleni, also called Saint Helena. On the eve, people light the Demera<\/a>, a tall bonfire. In Addis Ababa, the main celebration takes place in Meskel Square. UNESCO added Meskel to its intangible heritage list in 2013.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\"Demera
The Demera bonfire burns in Meskel Square, Addis Ababa, on the eve of Meskel, September 26, 2013 (Photo: Brendan Vaughn \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a>, CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>) [file photo]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

Irreecha<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Irreecha is the Oromo thanksgiving festival at the end of the rainy season. Its date is set each year by the union of Oromo Abbaa Gadaas. In 2026, it was held on Meskerem 23 and 24, or October 3 and 4, at Hora Finfinne in Addis Ababa and Hora Harsadi in Bishoftu, Fact.et<\/a> reported. For 2026, the union announced the dates in September.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Watch: Timket, From UNESCO<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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