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I’ve mentioned before that Ethiopia runs on a different calendar. This year it is 1999 in Ethiopia, and September 10th is the last day of 1999 by the Ethiopian calendar.
Huge millenium celebrations are being planned. According to allafrica.com:
The Head of the Millennium project, Biruk Berga told BuaNews that 15 programmes were in place to mark the millennium.
These include building museums and communication centres to keep people informed about their history, heritage and new developments in Ethiopia.
“These programmes will start in June and continue until next year October [by the Gregorian calendar]. We will also be building recreational centres,” Mr Berga said.
Regular public gatherings would also be a prominent feature where traditional dance, song and food would be part of the festivities.
It is expected that up to 30,000 Ethiopians will be coming to Ethiopia to join in the celebration. Returning travelers are already seeing things happening in Addis related to the millenium. Currently dozens of hotels are under construction, and the Sheraton hotel has a millenium countdown on a billboard in front of the main enterance of the hotel.
The major airlines are doubtless already taking reservations for the expected travelers. Ethiopian Air in particular is likely to be very busy. This will most likely make it challenging for adoptive families traveling to get their children between August and October.
The ideal thing would be to make reservations as early as possible. However, most families only get a few weeks’ notice of travel dates. If you are a family whose children are likely to be ready to travel around that time, you would be wise to prepare to be extra flexible and to expect some delay due to the celebration.
And if you are fortunate enough to actually BE in Ethiopia over the New Year, by all means tell us about it. Sounds like it’ll be quite a party!
