By Staff Reporter

For Ethiopians around the world, the new year signifies an end to the rainy season, plentiful harvests and a countryside covered with bright yellow flowers.

This year’s Ethiopian new year, also known as Enkutatash, was also observed at a special event in Dublin hosted by Ethiopian Airlines.

Welcoming guests to the event, the airline’s country manager Meseret Tekalign said that as Ethiopia uses the Julian calendar, which is seven days behind the more familiar Gregorian calendar, everyone in the room became instantly younger.

Tekalign used the opportunity to highlight the successes which the airline has achieved in recent times, adding that better days are ahead.

“As Ethiopian Airlines continues to grow, it is the hard work and commitment of all those in Ethiopian that has made us the largest and most profitable airline in Africa,” she said.

That achievement, she added, can be seen from the numerous awards the airline has received, such as TripAdvisor’s Best Business Class for Africa and the Indian Ocean, and Skytrax’s Best Airline, Business Class and Economy Class in Africa, as well as the latter’s four-star grading.

Guests were treated to traditional Ethiopian food and wine from the country’s Rift Valley, and witnessed a typical Ethiopian coffee ceremony.