Strangely the country is still in 2016

However, when the East African nation enters the new year in a few months, it will technically be 2017, according to the Ethiopian calendar. And, while the rest of the world has already welcomed 2024, in this country, people are still in 2016.

So why is Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country, seven years and eight months behind much of the rest of the world? How does that make things difficult for Ethiopians living on an increasingly interconnected planet, most of which operates in a completely different era?

The answer lies in centuries-old traditions—and a strong sense of national identity.

Unique "turn back time"

In Ethiopia, the year of Jesus Christ's birth is recognized as seven or eight years later than the Gregorian, or "Western," calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.

The Ethiopian New Year is celebrated in September, when the native flower Adey Abeba blooms.

According to experts, the Roman Catholic Church adjusted its calculation in 500 AD, while the Ethiopian Orthodox Church chose to stick with the ancient date.

Although much of the rest of the world continues to use the Gregorian calendar, Ethiopia retains its own calendar.

"We are unique. We have our own calendar. We have our own alphabet. We have our own cultural traditions," said Eshetu Getachew, CEO of Rotate Ethiopia Tours And Travel.

Believed to date back at least 1,500 years, the Ethiopian calendar shares many similarities with the Coptic calendar of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria, Egypt.

According to the solar-lunar system, there are 13 months, of which 12 months last 30 days. The last month has only five days, or six days in a leap year.

Tourists visiting Ethiopia are often stunned to learn they have "traveled back in time," with some taking to social media to express their bewilderment.

Since international businesses and schools based in the country tend to follow the Gregorian calendar, many Ethiopians have no choice but to use both the traditional Ethiopian calendar and the Western calendar simultaneously.

“It was very difficult,” Ethiopian archaeologist Goitom W. Tekle, now working in Germany, tells CNN Travel.

Worshippers gather next to the rock church in Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Tekle explained that some organizations have to continue to switch between the two calendars, incorporating different days and times when corresponding to Ethiopians, especially those in rural areas and those outside the country.

Even simple things like getting a birth certificate can cause problems when trying to merge the Ethiopian and Western systems.

Is there anything more "reasonable"?

Photographer Abel Gashaw is one of many Ethiopians who have adapted to moving between the two calendars with relative ease.

However, he admitted that he personally prefers the Ethiopian calendar, describing it as "more logical", especially when it comes to the start of the year.

The New Year, or Enkutatash, which means "gift of jewelry" in the Semitic language of Ethiopia, Amharic, comes at the end of the rainy season.

Adey Abeba, a flower native to Ethiopia, blooms during this period and has become the symbol of the Ethiopian New Year.

“It was like a new beginning,” Gashaw said. “Then the rains tapered off and everywhere you went was very green.”

He went on to point out that celebrating the new year on January 1 would not make sense in Ethiopia as this date falls during the dry season, while September 11 (or September 12 in leap years) also marks the beginning of the Egyptian new year.

In Ethiopia, it's not just the months, days, and years that are different. The country also runs on its own time system.

12-hour clock

While most countries start their day at midnight, Ethiopians use a 12-hour clock system that runs from dawn to dusk, starting at 1 a.m.

This means that what most people outside the country would consider 7am, Ethiopians would consider 1am.

Ethiopia follows a 12-hour clock system that runs from morning to night.

Gashaw explains that this reflects life in Ethiopia – the country's daylight hours are fairly constant due to its proximity to the Equator – and it seems like a more sensible approach.

However, the time in this country can be confusing, especially for tourists.

When booking with international visitors, Gashaw always makes sure to clarify whether they are referring to Ethiopian time or Western time.

“When I buy a plane ticket, the airlines use the European calendar, so I double-check three or four times to understand my timing,” he added.

But he also makes mistakes sometimes. Gashaw once failed an exam because his university schedule was set on Western time and he misunderstood.

"When the school announced the exam at 2 p.m., I thought it was Ethiopian time, which means in the morning. So when I got there, no one was there. I thought: The exam must have been canceled."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ky-la-dat-nuoc-van-dang-trong-nam-2016-185240617155615076.htm