“Happy New Year 2013”, this is what the Ethiopians wished each other this Friday, September 11, 2020. Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar, which is almost seven years behind the Gregorian or Western. But 2013 or 2020 regardless of the year celebrated, the reality is the same everywhere. Covid-19 pandemic obliges, in churches, the New Year has therefore been celebrated at a minimum. Nothing however to shake faith.

“ During this year which has just ended, we have been through a lot. God was angry and gave us a big punishment. But we expected worse and thanks to the will of God, facing the trials was easier and we are here now. We have been largely protected from the horrors we have seen elsewhere, ”says Aba Emkulu Yiheyis, an Ethiopian Orthodox priest.

To mark the first day of the year, Ethiopians buy gifts and visit their families. They first stop at the market where it is difficult to respect the barrier gestures. In the streets and in front of the stalls of traders, the coronavirus is not the priority.

” For me, what we are seeing here is confusing. The virus is spreading and the number of victims is increasing like the number of deaths. Here, protecting oneself against disease is difficult. I advise people to be very careful and to keep their distances, but they act as if there is no coronavirus, “explains a client.

The Ethiopian New Year is also celebrated in Eritrea. Orthodox Christians make up about 40% of Ethiopia’s 110 million people.