Wolaita Calendar
The first digital calendar of the Wolaita people
Gifaataa — the Wolaita New Year and thanksgiving of renewal — turns the year each September. This calendar reads that year in three systems at once: the Wolaita month and day names, the Ethiopian calendar, and the Gregorian date, with the moon that governs it all.
From a Gregorian date
Pick any day and read it across all three calendars.
From an Ethiopian date
Enter an Ethiopian (Amete Mihret) date to convert back.
How the Wolaita calendar works
The traditional Wolaita calendar is lunar — the word for a month, aginaa, is the same as the word for the moon. Each year the royal ritual advisors read the four "roots" of the moon to fix the turning of the year. That turning is Gifaataa, meaning "the beginning" — the bridge from old to new, from dark to light.
Three new years sit close together in this calendar's world. Understanding the calendar means understanding how they relate:
The twelve months — Aginaa
Each Wolaita month begins on Gifaataa and runs about 30–31 days, crossing two Ethiopian months. Gifaataa, the New Year, opens the year around 20 September. The table shows the Gifaataa 2026 year.
| # | Wolaita (Wolaytta) | Ethiopian | Gregorian (approx.) |
|---|
The seven days — Saaminttaa
The week begins with Woggaa (Sunday) — the day whose name shares its root with woga, custom and law. Gifaataa itself is observed on a Woggaa.
| Wolaita (Wolaytta) | English |
|---|
The four roots of the moon
The advisors read the lunar cycle in four parts to keep the calendar true. The moon phases shown across the calendar are astronomical, offered as an illustration of this lunar heart.
Terms recorded from Wolaita accounts of Gifaataa; readings of each root vary between sources.
Gifaataa — New Year dates, 2023–2050
The festival runs about four days (Thursday to Sunday), with the New Year observed on the Sunday. Broader observances can extend up to ten days.
| Year | Gifaataa (New Year) | Status |
|---|
Holidays this year
Public, religious and cultural holidays across the Wolaita year. Fixed Ethiopian and Gregorian holidays and Orthodox Easter/Good Friday are computed for every year; Islamic holidays (marked est) are set by moon sighting and shown for the 2026 year only.
| Wolaita date | Gregorian | Ethiopian | Holiday |
|---|