Opinion - News Analysis   

The calendar is 7 years behind in Ethiopia

Daniel Hailu promised to marry his girlfriend after the millennium. And now she eagerly awaits the arrival of her wedding ring. “She is so relieved that 1999 is nearly over,” said Mr. Hailu. Mr. Hailu is not living in a time warp, but rather in Ethiopia where, thanks to a quirk of history, the country’s calendar lags more than seven years behind the Western version. Only on Tuesday night, after years of anticipation and months of frenzied preparation, will the year 2000 finally be ushered in.

Although many Ethiopians, particularly those in the cities, are equally comfortable using the Western dateline, there is little doubting their pride in maintaining their own calendar. Alongside Ethiopia’s status as the cradle of humankind and its record as the only African country successfully to resist colonisation, the faith-based calendar reinforces the feeling that, while they are African, they are also unique.

“There are more than 200 countries in the world, and we are the only ones to celebrate the millennium at this time,” said Fanthun Bogale, an IT technician.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Held to ransom
Rafsanjani back on centre stage
One decision and seven considerations statecraft
Where a wrong turn can mean death
The role of village courts in earlier times
‘Coping with misconduct in Indian science’: a response
The calendar is 7 years behind in Ethiopia
Corrections and clarifications
Democracy in peril
Unfortunate
Deplorable
Rural service

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu