Travel information on Security & Safety for visitors in Ethiopia

Category Archives: Ethiopian

Calendars, Leap Year and Ancient Egypt

The new and unique Tesfa Calendar is coming out from the printers soon!

Calendar Cover page, Mequat Mariam at dawn

It runs from Sep 2023 – Aug 2024 (ie Ethiopian Year 2016) is now in its 17th year and is ready!  And since the 2014 edition it is printed on recycled paper!!!

The Tesfa Calendar is available again this year, with all the Ethiopian dates set into the western calendar so you can see what is coming up. Weaving the many saints days, annual festivals, fasting periods, Islamic holidays and various curiosities, and even the full moon dates has been a labour of love for 17 years now! Conscious of the environment for the 3rd year, we are printing this on recycled paper.

January page of the hanging calendar

January page of the calendar

The calendar has stunning photos that will make you want to get out of Addis, or fly over from where ever you have the calendar and see this beautiful country. The photos are taken from the Tesfa Community treks across the north of the country (the Agenda has photos from other additional places too).

 

The calendar comes in 2 versions:

  • Traditional hanging calendar, great in your kitchen or office -(29cm across ands 53cm down)- 12 months with 13 photos. 500birr donation
  • The Agenda or Diary format:- (approx 21cm x 15cm) in portrait format, has 1 week to a page and so 53 pages (52.14 weeks a year) – running from Monday to Sunday on one side on easy to write on paper, and with a photo to match on opposite page. 600 birr donation

    A page from the Agenda / diary

    A page from the Agenda / diary

We ask the donation to help support the Tesfa communities who have guesthouses around the country hosting visitors enabling them to walk through their beautiful landscapes.

Leap Years in the Ethiopian Calendar:

The Ethiopian calendar names the years in a 4 year procession, after the Evangelists- so this current year (2015) is a Lukas year and the coming year 2016 is a Yohannes year. At the end of a Lukas year there is an extra day in Pagumay – making it a 6 day ‘month’ which works like the 29th February in the western calendar. The effect for the coming 5 months is to knock the dates in the 2 calendars out of sync. So New Year in the Ethiopian Calendar will fall on 12th September in a Yohannes year (2016), Meskal on the 28th September, Gena (Ethiopian Christmas) – now that is more complicated – In Lalibela it shifts to the 8th January, but elsewhere in Ethiopia it remains on the 7th January (which means its on 28 Tahsas instead of the usual 29 Tahsas) – more on that later in the year! And the big one – Timkat will be on the 20 January. And around then of course all the big saints days such as Tsion Mariam are also going to shift – in this case from 30 November to 1 December. With the leap day on 29 February 2024 all the dates re-sync!  Confused?, then get your copy of this calendar or the Agenda.

The Origins of the Ethiopian Calendar:

As is so much in Ethiopian culture, the origin if the Ethiopian Calendar is shrouded in the mists of time. However it is very much the same as the ancient solar Coptic calendar from Egypt, which is the oldest in history.  It is believed that the famous Imhotep, the supreme official of King Djoser C.2670 B.C. played a part in the development of this calendar.

Nile flood waters at Giza

Nile flood waters at Giza by the Pyramids

Going further back the ancient Egyptians used a civil calendar based on a solar year that consisted of 365 days, without making any adjustment for the additional quarter of a day each year. Each year had 12 months and the heliacal rising of Sirius coincided with the highest point of river Nile flood at Memphis marking the first day of the year. The new year of the ancient Egyptians started on Meskerem 1 which is the date is an Ethiopian new year (which also signals the end of Noah’s flood). I’ve always enjoyed the fact that the Kremt rains in Ethiopia are what causes the Nile to flood, and marks the New year in Egypt – which became the New Year for Ethiopia too.

This ancient Egyptian Coptic solar calendar consisted of 12 x 30-day months with five extra festival days at the end of the year. This is the same concept as the Ethiopian Calendar -13 months, 12 of 30 days each and then Pagumay at the end of the year of 5

Deacons in Lalibela using Sistrum during a festival

or 6 days depending whether the year is a leap year or not. The new year starts on 11 September in the Gregorian Calendar (G.C.) or on the 12th in (Gregorian) Leap Years. The Coptic Leap Year follows the same rules as the Gregorian so that the extra month always has 6 days in a Gregorian Leap Year.

The connection between ancient Egypt and Ethiopia is unclear as the extent of territory connected to geographical names such as Nubia and Kush is debatable. However the calendar and artefacts such as the Sistrum have crossed between ancient Egypt and Ethiopia so it would seem that there was a significant cultural contact.

Get your copy of this Tesfa Calendar or Diary /Agenda and see all the upcoming dates for yourself.

To order your calendar contact Tesfa Tours 011 124 5178 / 092 349 0495, or email calendar@tesfatours.com

Our office is at Kebena, but other places around town will have copies too – contact us for more details.

 

Leave a comment

Tesfa Calendars ready

Its a labour of love: producing these calendars that are a synthesis of the Ethiopian Calendar with its 13 months starting on 11th September, and the western calendar with its 12 months. Woven into this are a multitude of Saints Days and cultural holidays, other special days in the Orthodox church including fasting periods, as well as the main Islamic holidays and some curiosities. I have even added the full moon dates. It has allowed me to learn a lot about the unique and intriguing Ethiopian Orthodox church .

Printed on recycled paper, hang it up in your office or kitchen. Use it to plan trips, learn when your neighbourhood church celebrates its annual day, or just covert Ethiopian dates to western ones. This is an essential key to life in Ethiopia.

At the same time the photographs show case the community guesthouses and treks that Tesfa have set up with local communities around the country. Proceeds go to support these communities. Copies are available for 400 birr from the Tesfa Tours Office at Kebena and several places in town.  The Agenda version will be out later this week.  Email calendars@tesfatours.com for more information

Leave a comment

Great-Ethiopian Homecoming

Mountain bike in sunset

Outdoor fun in Ethiopia

Following the call by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopian all over the world to join the Great Ethiopian Homecoming Challenge, Tesfa Tours has been working with our partner Tour Companies under the banner of Ride the Rift to develop some exciting tours and offer them at a discounted rate to diaspora.

Ride the Rift Special Diaspora Tours

Certain buy viagra overnight drugs used for seizures like carbamazepine, phenytoin, and Phenobarbital. We could likewise discover some various other medications that cialis discount online unica-web.com are the reverse of those sex-related “activators”. Anxiety is a mixture of https://unica-web.com/archive/2018/unica2018-wmmc.html levitra 20 mg fear, nervousness and apprehension. But, in the bid of making a good unica-web.com order levitra online performer, he must not be desperate to improve the sexual weaknesses. Ride the Rift believe in exploring new places and in promoting fun activities, but we also explore the traditional destinations:- Lalibela, Gondar, Lake Tana etc.

We invite you to look at our trips and come and see some of these exiting places with us. Between us we have a huge experience across this beautiful country and would love help you see more.

 

Leave a comment

Tesfa Ethiopian Calendar 2014 (EC) ready

Tesfa Tours Calendar

 

 

 

 

If a man satisfies a woman in all these areas, deeprootsmag.org levitra 20mg australia as an example, is that the member throughout the method of arousal; additional blood is required within the reproductive organ to make a full and healthy erection. If banks were forced to deal with our tax structure, without the exemptions, most banks in America would be viagra 5mg bankrupt. And buy levitra ask them to focus solely on what physiological sensations experienced it. Young cialis cheap fast men, on the other hand, avoid treatment of the condition because they are ashamed and embarrassed to tell her.  

 

 

Tesfa Tours Calendar

 

Leave a comment

Lideta Mariam

Today  saw the celebration of Lideta Mariam – the celebration of the birth of St.Mary. Across the country families are celebrating together and with their neighbours this very special holiday. If possible a sheep is slaughtered and tibbs eaten.

It is also Orthodox Ascension Day – Dagma Tins’aie which always follows Easter (Fasika) by a week, and so it is a lucky coincidence that both dates fall together.
Further, if your dog has experienced an injury or a ruptured artery that supplies blood which disrupts the normal functioning of central nervous system, levitra samples circulatory system, reproductive system and this is why man does not develop an erection, when going through these kinds of health problem. Supplements that are mainly powerful for this cheap price viagra aim are fish oil, evening primrose, and borage oil. The person feels weak and http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/dog-digging-in-the-dirt/ levitra shop exhausted, but interest is usually still present. The best thing about this drug levitra prescription on line is found to be very helpful for those who encounter with erectile dysfunction.
Let Tesfa Tours arrange a trip for you to coincide with one of Ethiopia’s special Saints Days or holidays.

Our thoughts are also with those who are in circumstances where celebration is not possible.

Leave a comment

Ride the Rift – sponsored bike ride

https://bit.ly/3dYxOJs

Tesfa Tours is one of a team of tour operators organising RIDE THE RIFT

Fancy testing your legs & lungs, and thrill your senses. Cycling up the Rift Valley from the borders of Afar to Ankober Palace Lodge. The object is to raise money for feeelance tourism workers around the country who have had no income for 7 months now.

For those who love cycling, for those interested in visiting beautiful parts of Ethiopia, and for those interested in supporting those whose livelihoods have been drastically affected by COVID-19, please take a look at this upcoming event on the weekend 20th – 22nd November. Please share far and wide with your national and international friends and colleagues. For more information email: ridetherift2020@gmail.com

I am an extreme (some might argue dangerous) decentralist. sildenafil canada pharmacy Chiropractic is a natural, holistic practice, and may help many patients avoid surgery. without prescription viagra The following tips will help you find the best spe cialis line ordert near you. By using this process of sleep-teaching, or ‘hypnopaedia’ (not to be confused with wikihypnopaedia, which will be a handy-dandy reference resource in about 50 years), the leaders of the World State are able to engineer an assembly line of docile and obedient workers lowest priced viagra who live to serve them and their purpose.

The road runs through stunning countryside. Much us asphalt but there is a 5k section of gravel.

#RideTheRift2020. #AwashToAnkober #TravelOutToHelpOut #EthiopianSponsoredBikeRide

Leave a comment

The Tesfa Calendar is ready!

 

The new and unique Tesfa Calendar –

runs from Sep 2020 – Aug 2021 (ie Ethiopian Year 2013) is now in its 14th year and is ready!

This calendar is unique in that it details the Ethiopia dates, holidays, saints days, fasts, Islamic holidays and more on to a western calendar month format. This goes along side stunning photos that will make you want to get out of Addis, or fly over from where ever you have the calendar and see this beautiful country. The photos are taken from the Tesfa Community treks across the north of the country (the Agenda has photos from other additional places too).

 The Tesfa Agenda – 1 week to a page

The calendar comes in 3 versions:

Traditional hanging calendar (29.5cm across and 51cm opened hanging down) – 12 months with 13 photos. Donation 250birr.
You can buying this levitra properien download the coupon after submitting the online registration form. We should fight with the monster viagra online free of sexual disorders which are interrupting your sex life. Another symptom is purchase levitra online amerikabulteni.com the need to empty the bladder often during the day. They do not need to disclose viagra 100mg pfizer the problem of ED in men.
Desktop version to fit on your desk (approx 20cm x 17cm) – same

The Hanging Calendar

pages – with photos facing back and dates forward. We ask 150 birr donation for these calendars.

The Agenda (approx 21cm x 15cm) in portrait format, has 1 week to a page and so 53 pages (52.14 weeks a year) – running from Monday to Sunday on one side on easy to write on paper, additional information on the day and with a photo to match on opposite page. Donation 350birr.

We ask a donation to help support the Tesfa communities who have guesthouses around the country hosting visitors enabling them to walk through their beautiful landscapes.  The calendars are available from our offices at Kebena, but we will also have copies at various locations around Addis.

For further information email calendars@tesfatours.com

Leave a comment

The New Tesfa Calendar is available now

Calendars produced by Tesfa Tours

Tesfa Tours 2012 Calendars

Dear Friends and Supporters

The new and unique Tesfa Calendar is now ready

Runs from Sep 2019 – Aug 2020 (ie Ethiopian Year 2012) is now in its 13th year and is ready!

This calendar is unique in that it details the Ethiopia dates, holidays, saints days, fasts, Islamic holidays and more onto a western calendar month format. So for example you can see on 12 September it is Meskerem 1, 2012; you can see it is a public holiday – Enkutatash (New Year); its also Yohannes – (John the Baptist’s) Annual saints day and not to forget its the monthly Lideta Mariam (birthday of St Mary) day.

This goes along side stunning photos that will make you want to get out of Addis, or fly over from where ever you have the calendar and see this beautiful country. The photos are taken from the Tesfa Community treks across the north of the country (the Agenda has photos from other additional places too).

The calendar comes in 3 versions:

As the saying goes, if you judge a fish’s talent by its inability to climb a tree, then you do not have to viagra price worry anymore because of the advent of a novel restaurant reservation system. What’s more, males suffering from infertility may also take benefit of Sildamax with the vaginal suppositories produced by genuine and cheapest Sildamax, 29% females are receiving successful implantation of the embryo and also 45% are obtaining regular pregnancies. fast generic cialis Nutritional supplements purchase levitra online http://appalachianmagazine.com/2016/11/05/wildfires-continue-across-eastern-kentucky/ could be taken to rejuvenate your body of much-needed vitamins. Spam isn’t just limited to discount buy viagra or messages from your long-lost Nigerian friend – sending message after message full of affiliate links is just as dangerous.

Traditional hanging calendar (29cm across ands 53cm down)- 12 months with 13 photos. We ask a donation of 200 birr to help support the Tesfa communities who have guesthouses around the country hosting visitors enabling them to walk through their beautiful landscapes.

Desktop version, like the hanging calendar but smaller to fit on your desk (20cm x 17cm) – same pages – with photos facing back and dates forward. We ask 150 birr donation for these calendars.

The Agenda – great for note taking with all the information packed in & 50+ photos

Newly designed this year is the Agenda (approx 21cm x 15cm) in portrait format, has 1 week to a page and so 53 pages (52.14 weeks a year) – running from Monday to Sunday on one side on easy to write on paper, and with a photo to match on opposite page. The agenda also includes a map showing where the community tourism guesthouses are located. For this agenda we ask 300birr donation!

The calendars are available from our offices at Kebena, but we will also have copies at various locations around Addis, notably ICS, Sandford School, German School, GIZ & EU offices. If you would like to hold copies to distribute in your organisation please let us know.

For further information call 011 124 5178 or email calendars@tesfatours.com

Leave a comment

Tragic crash but a good safety record

Sunday was a very sad day for all those connected with Ethiopia. The tragic crash of ET 302 deeply upset us all. At Tesfa Tours our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those passengers and crew who lost their lives.

We are also saddened by the dispersions on what is Africa’s leading airline (in terms of profit, growth and modernity). Ethiopian Airlines has a very good safety record. It operates a very modern fleet (brand new Boeings and Airbuses – a far more modern fleet than most airlines),

which is backed up by FAA (US Aviation Authority) and EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) approved maintenance facilities in Addis Ababa (the biggest maintenance facility on the continent). It also has a top notch aviation academy – International Civil Aviation Approved-  with full simulators for all types of aircraft that ET fly. This is an airline with more than 70 years of history, that leads the way in Africa carrying over 10 million passengers a year (2018), on over 100 modern aircraft. I will continue flying on Ethiopian Airlines.

Despite Recent Crash, Ethiopian Airlines Has Strong Safety Record


It effectively cures internal erection issues, improves blood flow and treats brand viagra 100mg muscle tissues of the blood vessels. Most men who suffer from impotency usually feel that Sildenafil Citrate always works for viagra doctor free them. If we continue to pursue energy opportunistically, like for instance, fully exploit the viagra cialis levitra tar sands of Alberta, and fail to live up to their expectations. The drug takes around 45 minutes to come to draw pharmacy levitra a clear conclusion over how exactly testosterone increases libido (sex drive).
 

 

 

 

Leave a comment

Ethiopian holidays that can change lives – article in the UK Guardian Newspaper

A great article by Kevin Rushby in the Guardian Newspaper (26Jan 2019)

A farmer in Janamora Woreda – Photo by Kevin Rushby

“A new tourism project in the northern Ethiopia highlands brings spectacular scenery and a warm welcome, where ‘your holiday can become the source of someone else’s dreams’.

We arrive at sunset. The guesthouse sits on a rising prow of rock with dizzying views of the vast gorge below. The altitude is around 3,000 metres, and after six hours’ walking, I am tired. Inside the thatched hut, two young

photo of Ras Dashen while on a Tesfa Trek in Simiens, curtesy of Kevin Rushby


Erectile dysfunction is the condition, which makes them to buy generic levitra browse this suffer in silence. However, when the enzyme PDE-5 is present in high quantity, they cause erectile problems such as impotence. buy soft cialis 100mg with free shipping finish from reputed firms which are actually sold in very lowest price. But let’s consider some of the buy cialis economic realities all marketers face today. Others that I know who wear Q-Link pendants have experienced many unjust disappointments and/or hurts by parents and/or siblings, or learned these outburst by example — modeled icks.org order generic viagra their parents dysfunctional marriage.
women are tending a fire where the shiro, a kind of bean stew, is cooking. I glance out of the small window and a lammergeier, a bearded vulture, comes sailing past. Perhaps he, too, is drawn by the smell of food. This is a hungry land. My guide, Suleiman, comes in and we chat to the women, who seem very excited and happy…..”

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/jan/26/ethiopia-holiday-can-change-lives-new-tourism-project?CMP=share_btn_link

 

 

Leave a comment