The last new year of 2013
I was under the impression that when the People’s Republic of China adopted the Gregorian calendar in that it was the last country in the world to do and that ever since then it had become the unofficial calendar for the whole planet.
Oh, there are other calendars in use around the world – the Islamic calendar used throughout the Muslim world for example but the Gregorian calendar has been adopted by the United Nations and used almost everywhere in the world for civil purposes.
So, you can imagine my surprise when I learned that this is not necessarily the case … apparently there is still one country, (Ethiopia), that still operates the on the Julian calendar, (although the situation is a bit more complicated than that), and today is Enkutatash – the Ethiopian New Year.
For the record: Ethiopia actually has several local calendars. The most widely known is the Ge’ez calendar, (which is the principal calendar in the country), and is related to the Coptic Calendar. It also serves as the liturgical calendar for Christians in Eritrea and Ethiopia belonging to the local churches.
It was fixed to the Julian calendar in 25 BC by Emperor Augustus of Rome with a start date of August 29, thus establishing the New Year on this day. The date marks the approximate end of the “rainy season” but there is also a tradition which links it to the return of Queen of Sheba following her visit to King Solomon in Jerusalem, which is considered to be the beginning of a new era for Ethiopia, where the emperors were descended from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Apparently her enthusiastic subjects met her return and the new age with offerings of precious stones – Enkutatash means “Day of Jewelry Offerings”.
August 29th in the Julian calendar equates with September 11th in most years – except in the year preceding a Leap Year when if falls on September 12th
So, Happy Enkutatash! … Happy New Year! … Rosh Hashanah has already passed so I presume that this will be the last new year of 2013 … but if anyone wants to write and tell me of another yet to come, I will be interested to hear about it.
Now, just in case anyone is wondering why I am writing about Ethiopian New Year in a Postcard from Bishkek, it so happens that is a small number of Ethiopians living in Kyrgyzstan. I was tempted to say “a small community”, but I understand that these days there are just seven of them.
There were originally 80, sent as cadets to train at the flying school in Tokmok which operated in the days of the Soviet Union by, the then Marxist Government in Addis Ababa. That was back in 1989 but, within two years, the military government in Ethiopa was overthrown and the Soviet Union collapsed … and the cadets had to think carefully about their future.
Some of them felt that it was unsafe to return home and so they decided to stay in Kyrgyzstan. Today one drives a bus in Bishkek, another drives a taxi in Tokmok, one works as a manager in a courier firm and others work as entertainers in a popular restaurant just outside Tokmok. Some have married and have their own families here in Kyrgyzstan. Others, unfortunately, have passed away.
Apparently, however, life has not been easy. There aren’t that many black people in Kyrgyzstan so they are easily noticed and it seems that they have suffered more than their fair share of prejudice and abuse – verbal and physical – just like many other groups of migrants around the world … in the Kyrgyz, for example, in Russia.
.
Here’s a report, Flight Training, presenting their story from youtube … telling of some of the hardships that they have experienced … it is quite “hard hitting” and presents their story in stark terms. It was recorded by students at the College of Journalism and Mass Communication of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. :
.
.
.
So, Happy Enkutatash! … Happy New Year! … especially to the Ethiopian Seven!
As the old toast has it …
Here’s hoping that you leave all the bad behind you in the year just gone and that the new year brings you all that you hope for – Health, Wealth and Happiness!
- – - – - – - – -
Incidentally … Rosh Hashanah has already passed so I presume that this will be the last new year of 2013 … but if anyone wants to write and tell me of another yet to come, I will be interested to hear about it.
.
Bishkek