Ethiopia celebrates 2012 New Year in 2019
As this year's Ethiopian New Year celebrations coincided with the 2019 Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese expats residing in Ethiopia have joined their Ethiopian counterparts to mark the two unique events with colorful cultural activities.
The East African country on Thursday marked its unique New Year, or Enkutatash in the Amharic language, which falls on September 11 (or September 12 during a leap year), as per the country's unique calendar that counts its year seven to eight years behind the Gregorian calendar. Presently, the country is celebrating the arrival of 2012.
The week-long celebrations of Ethiopia's New Year has coincided with the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, which fell on Sept. 13 this year. The festival is an important tradition among Chinese people, which features family reunions, watching the full moon while eating mooncakes together.
The double festivals have provided a moment for both Ethiopians and Chinese expats to celebrate the two events under a single roof, enjoying the two countries' rich cultural and historical values.
On Saturday, Ethiopian and Chinese staff from the Chinese construction giant, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) Ethiopia branch, gathered in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to mark the two events with various activities.
The colorful event, among other activities, featured coffee ceremony, which is an integral part of the Ethiopian New Year celebrations.
