Ethiopian Christmas

Today, Christmas is celebrated in Ethiopia. I know that seems weird to most readers of this blog, but it's true. They use the Coptic calendar, which is also known as the Alexandrian calendar. So not only is is Christmas today, but it is 2003 there!

Wikipedia says this about it:

The Coptic year is the extension of the ancient Egyptian civil year, retaining its subdivision into the three seasons, four months each. The three seasons are commemorated by special prayers in the Coptic Liturgy. This calendar is still in use all over Egypt by farmers to keep track of the various agricultural seasons. The Coptic calendar has 13 months, 12 of 30 days each and one intercalary month at the end of the year of 5 days in length, except in leap years when the month is 6 days. The year starts on 29 August in the Julian Calendar or on the 30th in the year before (Julian) Leap Years. The Coptic Leap Year follows the same rules as the Julian Calendar so that the extra month always has six days in the year before a Julian Leap Year.

From ehow.com

The word Ganna is used interchangeably with the word Christmas to mean the birth of Christ (leddat). A common way to refer to the holiday is "ye ganna baal".

 So offices are closed today and we will not hear from our agency as a result. What I am praying is that during this celebration there is someone holding my children and loving them, whomever and where ever they are. We pray for you every single day and long for your arrival into our lives my sweet ones. We celebrate today with you.