The East African country uses its own unique calendar that counts seven to eight years behind the Gregorian calendar. At Bole Medhane Alem Church in Addis Ababa, the holiday was celebrated in a slightly subdued manner, because of the coronavirus pandemic. "The 2012 Ethiopian Calendar is a year where we went through a lot," Aba Emkulu Yiheyis, Ethiopian Orthodox Priest, said. At Atikilt Tera, a large vegetable market, crowds were going about despite the coronavirus pandemic. Ethiopia has been relatively shielded in the pandemic, reporting less than 63,000 coronavirus cases and 974 deaths.

Source: Ethiopian News September 11, 2020 15:56 UTC