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Ethiopia Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.

Public holiday note: 

* Date to be confirmed.
(a) ** Indicates Coptic holidays. (b) Ethiopia uses the Julian calendar, which is divided into 12 months of 30 days each, and a 13th month of five or six days at the end of the year; hence the date for Christmas. The Ethiopian year commences on 11 September and is eight years behind the Gregorian calendar from January to September and seven years behind between 11 September and 8 January. (c) Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Eid al-Fitr, Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Some disruption may continue into Eid al-Fitr itself. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha may last anything from two to 10 days, depending on the region.

2012

January
06
**Timket (Epiphany)
January
07
Ethiopian Christmas
February
04
Mawlid al-Nabi (Birth of the Prophet)
March
02
Victory of Adowa
April
06
*Ethiopian Good Friday
April
24
*Ethiopian Easter
May
01
Labour Day
May
05
Patriots Victory Day
May
28
Downfall of the Dergue
August
19
Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)
September
11
**Ethiopian New Year (Entutatash)
September
27
**Finding of the True Cross (Meskel)
October
26
Eid-al Adha (Arafat)
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