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Enkutatash
Hillsides yellow with adey abeba daisies after the rains, girls in white dresses, and fresh green grass on the floor.
The colours of Enkutatash
The Ethiopian year begins in September, when the long rains end and the highlands turn yellow with adey abeba, a wild daisy that flowers only at this season. The flower is the sign of the new year: it is picked in bunches, painted on cards and given to friends. Girls put on new white cotton dresses with a coloured woven border and go from house to house singing and drumming, and are given bread or coins. Boys paint pictures, often of flowers and saints, to hand to neighbours. Floors are strewn with freshly cut green grass, and the coffee ceremony is held on it. The name Enkutatash is usually explained as a gift of jewels.
#F9D616Adey abeba yellowThe daisy that flowers for the new year.#FCFBF5New-dress whiteWhite cotton dresses worn by the singing girls.#5FA83BCut-grass greenFresh grass laid on the floor.#C2272DTibeb redWoven borders on the white cloth.Values are fair approximations, not official shades.
Read about the colours
Written by the Rang desk with AI assistance. Background: "Enkutatash" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.