As previously mentioned, Ethiopia celebrates the new year on September 11th due to their use of the Coptic calendar. The new year celebration is called Enkutatash (en-koo-TAH-tash) which means "gift of jewels." Not only does this celebration mark the end of the rainy season, but also the return of the Queen of Sheba (known in Ethiopia as Makeda) from her visit to King Solomon in Jerusalem - which is recorded in 1 Kings 10:1-13 and again in 2 Chronicles 9:1-12. Once she returned to Ethiopia, King Solomon sent her a gift of jewelry.Enkutatash is a time when Ethiopians enjoy the fine weather and celebrate new life, often covering their floors with freshly cut grass. Children dress in white and go door to door singing and offering bouquets of wildflowers, yellow meskel (mehs-KEHL) daisies, to every lady of the house. In return, the children sometimes receive a small gift. -Logan
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