Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar, instead of the Gregorian calendar used in most other parts of the world. The year is divided in to 13 months, which are:
| Julian Month | Gregorian Equivalent Days |
| Meskerem | 11th September – 10th October (begins 12th September, during leap years) |
| Tikmit | 11th October – 9th November |
| Hidar | 10th November – 9th December |
| Tahsas | 10th December -8th January |
| Tir | 9th January – 7th February |
| Yekatit | 8th February – 9th March |
| Meggabit | 10th March – 8th April |
| Miyazya | 9th April – 8th May |
| Ginbot | 9th May – 7th June |
| Sene | 8th June – 7th July |
| Hamle | 8th July -6th August |
| Nehasa | 7th August -5th September |
| Pagume | 6th September – 10th September (ends 11th September, during leap years) |
Time
Ethiopia is three hours ahead of Greenwich mean time. Time remains constant throughout the year. The Ethiopian day is calculated in a manner similar to that in many equatorial countries, where day and night are always the same length: counting starts at Western 6.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. Western 7.00 a.m. is therefore one o’clock, noon is six, 6.00 p.m. is twelve o’clock, and so on. Relatively close the equator; there is an almost constant twelve hours of daylight. In Addis Ababa, the sunrise and sunset start at around 06.30 and 18.45 respectively.