On 12 September, the Ethiopian community celebrates Enkutatash which is the new year for this community, with family, food and fresh coffee.
With the size of the community growing consistently, the celebrations have also become more visible and busy.
SBS Amharic attended one of the largest Enkutatash celebrations in Australia recently to capture the spirit of the community and the cross-cultural bridges it helps to build.
Unique calendar, unique celebrations
Unlike the Gregorian New Year which is celebrated globally on 1 January, the Ethiopian version is observed on 11 September (or 12 September in a leap year).
Dr Yirga Gelaw, an Ethiopian historian at Curtin University, explains the calendar’s uniqueness.
“The Ethiopian calendar, also known as the Ge’ez calendar, has a different start date. It is about seven or eight years behind the Gregorian calendar,” he tells SBS Amharic.
Credit: SBS
“This difference is due to variations in how historical events were calculated and recorded in the olden days,” he adds.
Enkutatash Down Under
The Ethiopian community in Australia dons the New Year spirit every September with great fervour, showcasing its rich heritage in multicultural Australia.
The community gathers for festivities, exchanges gifts, churches have celebrations and feasts.
One such celebration is organised yearly in Melbourne’s Footscray, home to a large African population.
Central to these feasts are traditional Ethiopian dishes like injera (a sourdough flatbread made from a gluten-free millet called teff), doro wot (a spicy chicken stew) and kitfo (minced raw beef marinated with a chilli-based spice blend) and butter infused with herbs and spices).
Traditional Ethiopian delicacies are enjoyed on Enkutatash. Credit: Sifrash
To partake of their hospitality, the Ethiopian diaspora often invites their Australian guests, thereby bridging cultures and fostering the community spirit.
This communion is embodied by community elder Eshetu Mulugeta and his Serbian wife, Jasmina Mulugeta.
Eshetu Muluget's neighbours gather for the Ethiopian New Year's Day lunch in his backyard. Credit: Eshetu Mulugeta
The day begins with going to the local Ethiopian Orthodox Church for this family.
“We dress traditionally and after Mass, our Australian neighbours join us for a feast and celebration,” he tells SBS Amharic.
(L-R), Jasmina Mulugeta, Gabrielle Mulugeta, Eshetu Mulugeta and Michael Mulugeta at their Melbourne family home. Credit: Eshetu Mulugeta
“Other children who have grown up with ours, did not miss the celebrations of the Ethiopian New Year except during the COVID-19 lockdown,” he adds highlighting the community spirit of the festival.
The Muluget family celebrates Enkutatas with a friend. Credit: Eshetu Mulugeta
According to the 2021 Census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Ethiopian-Australian community has grown from just three people before 1951 to 14,092.
Of these, 68.2 per cent are Australian citizens.
The largest cohort lives in Greater Melbourne’s western suburbs.
Credit: ABS
“The Ethiopian calendar follows a 13-month year system.
“Twelve of these months have 30 days each, and the final month, Pagumē, has five or six days, depending on whether it’s a leap year or not.
“Leap years in the Ethiopian calendar occur every four years, similar to the Gregorian calendar. However, in the Gregorian calendar, leap years are adjusted based on specific rules that make exceptions for years divisible by 100 but not 400,” he elaborates.
Mr Gelaw also describes how the Ethiopian community in Australia marks Enkutatash based on his lived experience with his wife, award-winning Australian author Rebecca Higgie.
Yirga Gelaw with his wife Rebecca Higgie. Credit: Yirga Gelaw
A week before 12 September, community members gather in Footscray. It is also home to many restaurants, cafés and barber shops owned by community members.
Every year, the mayor of Maribyrnong City Council attends the festival, thereby culturally bridging the Ethiopian and the wider community.
Members of the Ethiopian community attending the New Year cultural festival in Little Africa, Footscary. Credit: SBS Amharic
Over the years, many prime ministers and leaders of opposition in the federal parliament have sent their good wishes to the Ethiopian community on Enkutatash.
From Julia Gillard, who held office between 2010 and 2013, to Scott Morrison who was prime minister from 2018 to 2022, the community has received recognition for its contribution to their adopted country, Australia, on this day.
In her keynote address to one such Enkutatash celebration, Ms Gillard famously said, “Our multicultural success is no accident. The New Year is a sign of diversity that makes us strong as a nation.”
The Ethiopian community are small in numbers but big at heart.Julia Gillard, former prime minister
"You share a deep love for our country and a real belief in its future.
“And I understand, because of that, you know the true meaning of what it is to be Australian. So, on behalf of the whole nation, I hope the year ahead brings happiness, good health and prosperity to you and your family,” Ms Gillard had said.
Tony Abbott also extended his good wishes to the community when he was prime minister from 2013 to 2015.
“Enkutatash is an opportunity to celebrate your ancient culture as well as your new life here in Australia,” he had said.
Together, we built a nation which is the envy of the world.Tony Abbott, former Prime Minister of Australia
Mr Abbott also reminded the community of the importance of the diplomatic relations between the two countries over half a century.
“This year marks the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations between Australia and Ethiopia. As the second most populous country in Africa, Ethiopia is an important regional leader. Australia looks forward to building our warm relationship in the years ahead," he had then said.
As the Leader of the Opposition and the Labor Party till early 2022, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had also sent his greetings to the community on Enkutatash.
“Every one of those yellow adey abeba flowers now blooming across Ethiopia is a reminder of what we all hope for a brighter future," he had said.
During the pandemic, when the community couldn’t get together for this festival, Mr Albanese sent a message to congratulate them.
Ethiopian man sells traditional adey abeba flower motif ornaments ahead of the Enkutatash in Addis Ababa. Credit: Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
“But as we stay apart, we're joined together in the shared knowledge and wisdom of Ethiopians everywhere,” he had said.
Last year, Federal Leader of Opposition, Peter Dutton, wished the community in Amharic.
“Wherever you are in Australia, I hope you will be welcoming in the New Year with agile traditions, prayers, meals with your family, celebrations with your friends, the lighting of Chibo, perhaps a drink of Arak.
“No doubt stories will be told about the legendary origins of Enkutatash, how after visiting King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba returned home with the gift of jewels. This is a queen enriched by her travel.
“Australia has been enriched by all those Ethiopians who settled in our great country as migrants or refugees,” he added.
Mr Dutton also recognised the role and contributions of the Ethiopian community to Australia.
“Regardless of reasons, Ethiopians who arrived on our soil worked hard, embraced the Australian way of life and united us as a nation.”
“I thank everyone for their commitment and their contributions. Ethiopian New Year is a time of renewal and hope. So, for the Australian-Ethiopians community, I wish you good fortune and health in the coming year.
He concluded by wishing the community in Amharic.
