ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopians are urged to uphold the long-standing values of unity and peace as the country celebrates the arrival of New Year.
The latest call was made by Ethiopia's President Mulatu Teshome and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who urged Ethiopians to uphold unity and abstain from destructive acts during the Ethiopian 2011, which started on Tuesday.
The Ethiopian New Year, or Enkutatash in Amharic language, falls on Sept. 11 (or Sept. 12 during a leap year), as the East African nation uses a unique calendar that counts its year seven to eight years behind the Gregorian calendar.
Presently the country is celebrating the arrival of 2011, which commenced on Sept. 11.
President Mulatu, in his televised Ethiopian New Year mes
| Published | Roundup: Ethiopian leaders call for long-standing unity, peace amid New Year celebrations | ���ر�,Habtamu | huaxia | 2018-09-11 02:42:11 |
"Every Ethiopian must aspire towards making the Ethiopian 2011 a year in which we all work together with sole goal, which is to realize our country's growth and development by eradicating poverty from our beloved country," Teshome stressed.
Noting the return of various high-profile Ethiopian opposition figures, activists and government critics from exile after agreements with the Ethiopian government during the past four months period, Teshome also called for building the nation together.
The Ethiopian 2011 comes as Ethiopia is seeming to come out of almost three years of political turmoil following the coming of PM Ahmed to the east African country's leadership. Ahmed assumed office in April.
Ahmed, in his New Year remarks to the Ethiopian people, also echoed the president's message, saying that "Ethiopia is a country we share, and we have to work for peaceful co-existence and prosperity."
Ethiopians have symbolized the final five days of the Ethiopian 2010 on five long-standing values of the Ethiopian society -- peace, love, forgiveness, togetherness, and unity -- in a bid to maintain these values as the New Year approaches.
Ethiopians welcome the arrival of the Ethiopian 2011 on Monday mid-night, in which millions across the east African nation celebrate the unique Ethiopian calendar that comes with change of seasons, and characterized by many as new hope and new beginning.
As celebrations kicked of early last week off, the Ethiopian government had also disclosed various incentives and discounts on various services to Ethiopians who are flocking back home from abroad to join the celebrations.
Majority of Ethiopians in diaspora usually return home in a bid to join the New Year celebrations with family and relatives.
The Ethiopian government has also established a special entity that brought almost all the major service providers, including the Ethiopian Airlines, hotels association and government tourism organizations in a bid to accelerate the welcoming of Ethiopian in diaspora.
Celebrations for the Ethiopian New Year is usually a week-long fest, while the major holiday starts on the eve, whereby each household or neighbors lit wooden torches locally called "chibo" in Amharic language, which symbolizes the coming of the new season of sunshine after the end of the cloudy (rainy) season that has prevailed since June.
The New Year brings an extended family together to attend a series of events, including slaughtering of cattle, either a sheep, got or cow, depending on a household's financial condition. Often, a community or a village will pool money to slaughter a cow in group, while each household can choose to slaughter a less expensive sheep.
