Wikipedia
Public holidays in Ethiopia
The following are public holidays (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ብሔራዊ በዓል) in Ethiopia. Many holidays follow the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.[1]
National holiday
| Date | English name | Amharic name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 March | Adwa Victory Day | የዓድዋ ድል በዓል | Commemorates Ethiopians victory over Italy at Battle of Adwa in 1896.[2] |
| 1 May | International Workers' Day | ዓለም አቀፍ የሠራተኞች ቀን | |
| 5 May | Ethiopian Patriots' Victory Day | የአርበኞች ቀን | Commemorates the 1941 entering of Emperor Haile Selassie into Addis Ababa amidst Second World War, who returned to the throne after 5 years Italian occupation of Ethiopia following Second Italo-Ethiopian War.[3] |
| 28 May[4] | Downfall of the Derg | ደርግ የወደቀበት ቀን | Commemorates the end of the Derg junta in 1991. It is also known as Ginbot 20 (ግንቦት 20). |
| 11 September (Leap year: 12 September) | Enkutatash | እንቁጣጣሽ/የዘመን መለወጫ/አዲስ አመት | New Year of Ethiopia and Eritrea |
Religious holidays
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church holidays
| Orthodox Church calendar date | English name | Amharic name |
|---|---|---|
| 7 January | Ethiopian Christmas | Genna (ልደተ-ለእግዚእነ/ ገና) |
| 19 January (Leap year: 20 January) | Epiphany | Timkat (ብርሐነ ጥምቀት) |
| Moveable in spring | Good Friday | Siklet (ዓርበ ስቅለት) |
| Moveable in spring | Easter | Fasika (ብርሐነ-ትንሣኤ/ፋሲካ) |
| 27 September 28 September (leap year) | Meskel | መስቀል |
Islamic holidays
In addition, the following Muslim holidays, which may take place at any time of the year, are observed as public holidays:
| Islamic calendar date | English name | Oromo name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moveable | Ramadan | Ramadaan | Ninth month, devoted to fasting |
| 12 Rabi' al-awwal (Sunni) 17 Rabi' al-awwal (Shia) | Mawlid | Mawliid | Birth of the Prophet |
| 1 Shawwal | Eid al-Fitr | Iid al-Fitrii | Breaking of the Fast |
| 10 Dhu al-Hijjah | Eid al-Adha | Iid al-Adhaa | Feast of the Sacrifice |
Holidays under the Derg communist rule (1974–1991)
| Date | English name | Amharic name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 September | Revolution Day | የአብዮት ቀን | Celebrated during Communist rule from 1974 to 1991 to celebrate the establishment of the Derg. In 1987, the celebrations of the holiday, which included a military parade on Revolution Square attended by multiple figures, also commemorated the establishment of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.[5][6] |
| 7 November | October Revolution Day | የጥቅምት አብዮት ቀን | Celebrated during Communist rule from 1974 to 1991. |
References
- ^ . www.ethioembassy.org.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ^ "Victory of Adwa in Ethiopia in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Patriots' Victory Day in Ethiopia in 2021". Office Holidays. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Derg Downfall Day in Ethiopia". www.timeanddate.com. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
- ^ "Ethiopia Celebrates 13th Anniversary of Revolution". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
- ^ "Ethiopian revolution marked". UPI. Retrieved 2021-06-23.