Why is the Ethiopian calendar 7–8 years different from the calendar we use today?

Different Epochs for “Year One”

The Ethiopian calendar is about seven to eight years “behind” the Gregorian calendar because it counts years from a different epoch (starting point) based on an alternate calculation of Jesus Christ’s birth¹. Both the Ethiopian and Gregorian (Western) calendars label years as years since Jesus’s incarnation, but they do not agree on the date of that event. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church preserved an older chronology for Christ’s birth instead of adopting the revised date used in Europe¹.

In essence, around 525 AD the Roman Church (using Dionysius Exiguus’s calculations²) set Christ’s birth several years earlier than the Ethiopian Church’s traditional date. Because Ethiopia continued with the original late-antique date instead of the European adjustment, its year count started later. This historical divergence in defining “year one” explains why the Ethiopian year number is roughly 7–8 years less than the Gregorian year number⁴.

Ethiopian Orthodox Calculation of Jesus’s Birth

In the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo tradition, it is taught that Jesus was born 5,500 years after the creation of the world, fulfilling an ancient prophecy of redemption¹. This reflects an early Christian chronological concept (sometimes called the Anno Mundi era), wherein the Incarnation was expected at the culmination of sacred history¹.

An Alexandrian monk named Annianus of Alexandria (4th–5th century) calculated the Incarnation according to Alexandrian Christian chronology³. This later timing for Christ’s birth became the baseline for counting years in Ethiopia’s calendar. Unlike Western Europe, which later amended its timeline, Ethiopia adhered to this late antique Christian understanding of “year one,” resulting in a lower current year count³.

The Virgin Mary in the Temple, guided by Archangel Fanuel Ethiopian Orthodox icon of sacred time, prayer, and divine preparation.

Western Calculation by Dionysius Exiguus

The calendar system used internationally (the Gregorian/Western calendar) counts years from an earlier assumed date of Jesus’s birth. This system originates from Dionysius Exiguus, a monk working in Rome, who in the 6th century introduced the Anno Domini (AD) era².

Dionysius’s calculation placed the Nativity several years earlier than the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition. This Dionysian chronology later became embedded in the Gregorian calendar reforms and was adopted throughout Europe². Ethiopia, however, retained the Alexandrian Church’s dating tradition³.

Origin of the 7–8 Year Difference

These distinct starting assumptions directly explain why the Ethiopian calendar today is seven to eight years behind the Gregorian calendar⁴. When the Gregorian calendar marks the year as 2026, the Ethiopian calendar is in 2018 or 2019, because its count began years later¹.

The difference is sometimes seven years and sometimes eight due to the Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash), which falls in early September⁴. From January until early September, the Ethiopian year is eight years behind; after the New Year, it becomes seven years behind⁴.

The Visitation : the Virgin Mary meets Saint Elizabeth, a moment of joy, prophecy, and divine recognition (Luke 1:39–45)

*Dates in ancient Christian chronology vary across traditions; this article reflects the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s preserved theological and calendrical understanding.

Sources

¹ Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Tradition; Synaxarium (Senkessar); Ethiopian Church calendar and chronology.² Dionysius Exiguus (6th century), Easter Tables — origin of the Anno Domini (AD) dating system.³ Annianus of Alexandria (4th–5th century), Alexandrian Christian chronology and the Era of Incarnation.⁴ Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Ethiopian Calendar.”