Ethiopia

It would be delusional to think that today is anything other than Thursday in April 2022. Those who follow the Western Georgian calendar would be in agreement, but there are certain countries who follow their own calendar. 

However, despite that they abide by the rule of 12 months a year. But one country that is exception to that rule is: Ethiopia. Yes, the African country has a calendar that remarkably has 13 months in a year. 

A video recently went viral where a TikToker @The1Kevine explained: "Ethiopia is behind like seven years. They have their own calendar, they have their own date."

She said she thought it was 'mad weird' when she made the discovery, and it appears she isn't the only one. The video has racked over 1.6 million views.

Why is Ethiopia seven years behind? 

Ethiopia's calendar takes its inspiration from the idea that Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden for seven years before they were expelled for their sins. After they repented, the Bible says that God promised to save them after 5,500 years.  

This country calculates the birth year of Jesus Christ differently. When the Catholic Church amended its calculation in 500 AD, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church did not.  

13-month calendar

The Ethiopian calendar has 13 months in a year, 12 of which have 30 days. The last month, called Pagume, has five days, and six days in a leap year. In contrast, the Gregorian calendar has days that can be less or more than 30 days in a month.   

This means they are between seven and eight years behind the rest of us, with 2014 getting under way last September.

  This is another difference you see - Ethiopians celebrate the beginning of a new year on 11 September, or 12 September if it is a leap year, the BBC has explained.

So, the people of Ethiopia – officially at least – only celebrated the turn of the millennium on 11 September 2007.

It also means that the country has many public holidays on different dates compared to other countries across the world because of this different calendar.

Modern-day Ethiopia still embraces its ancient calendar. However, travellers hardly experience any inconveniences because of the calendar difference. Most Ethiopians are aware of the Gregorian calendar and some even use both calendars interchangeably.  

It sounds confusing, but Ethiopians won't care one bit.