New Year in September! That’s right, in Ethiopia the new calendar year dawns in the month of September unlike our Western counterparts who greet the new year in January. Why so? Well Ethiopians follow the Gregorian calendar, whilst the West uses the Julian. So in Ethiopia there are 12 months of 30 days, and a 13th month of 5-6 days (accounting for leap years).
In 2013, New Years fell on September 11, 2013 also known as Mäskäräm in Ethiopia.
To celebrate Enkutatash, the first day of the New Year (2006 on the Ethiopian calendar), the VCDS in-country staff Mr Tesfaye Ejigu and Ms Selamawit Fentaw hosted a celebration for our sponsored children and their guardians.
VCDS distributed 60 hens and 600 eggs, school supplies and new clothing for all orphans and guardians. It was an amazing day of celebration and rejoicing, with the children and guardians expressing a renewed hope for the coming year.