People are just now learning about Ethiopia's VERY different calendar and their minds are blown
2014 is the new 2022

Wanna feel younger? Move to Ethiopia.
Sure, dealing with different time zones around the world is a headache. But can you imagine dealing with completely different years? As mind-boggling as it sounds, this is the case in Ethiopia. While the rest of the world is currently living in 2024, in Ethiopia the year is currently 2017.
And suddenly we have all become Robin Williams’ character from "Jumanji." It’s actually all very simple. Where most of us are used to the Gregorian calendar, marked with 12 months of 28-31 days, the Ethiopian calendar consists of 13 months … sort of.
You see, each and every month has exactly 30 days, except for that bonus 13th month (called Pagumen), which has five days. Unless of course it’s a leap year. Then it has six.
That makes the Ethiopian calendar seven years and eight months behind the Western calendar, according to the BBC. Good luck buying the right airline ticket.
Not only is the Ethiopian calendar several days behind, but the entire concept of time is vastly different. Rather than 24 hours in a day, Ethiopian time uses a 12-hour day, from dawn to dusk, then dusk to dawn. Meaning 6 a.m. is noon, 6 p.m. is midnight. Up is down. And down is periwinkle. Is your head buzzing yet?
And now the real question: why?
Apart from a five-year occupation by Mussolini’s Italy, the oldest African country has never been colonized. And therefore, it calculates the birth of Christ differently. The BBC reports that when the Catholic Church amended its calculation in 500 AD, the Ethiopian Orthodox church didn't.
As such, Ethiopians (similar to several other cultures) don’t celebrate New Year's in December. Their holiday, called Enkutatash, takes place on September 11, or September 12 on leap years.
Whoa.
And while we’re on the subject, Enkutatash sounds like a pretty amazing shindig. Sure, there are gifts, children singing, all that. But the real point of attraction? The coffee ceremony. Which can last for hours. Heaven is a place on Earth. And it’s found in Ethiopia.Of course, Ethiopia isn’t the only country that technically has a very different year. I mean, the Thailand calendar—based on Buddha, not Jesus—is all the way in 2565! After all, there are as many ways of measuring time as there cultures throughout history.
A recent video posted on YouTube takes us on a historian guided explanation that has helped bring the Ethiopian calendar to the forefront of people’s minds.
To say that the now viral clip brought up some fun comments would be an understatement. Time might be a construct, but it’s also apparently a big conversation starter.
I can’t believe Ethiopia is in 2014 .. bro we’ve been lied to this whole time
— Hit Em Up! (@KADZ1L) April 6, 2022
I thought I should remind you that Ethiopia is approximately 7 years behind the rest of us.
— UNCLE K.🎶 (@v_kelcy) April 6, 2022
Today's date in Ethiopia is Monday 27th July, 2014.
So if there's something u wish u did in 2014, u can go to Ethiopia, do it and go back to your country.(2022).
Ethiopia is in the year 2014 today which is 7/8 years behind. If I go to Ethiopia, will that make me 7 or 8 years younger?
— Mohammed Isah (@Mansaah_Musa) April 6, 2022
every time I tell people that Ethiopia follows a different calendar, it short circuits their brain and I get to witness the exact moment everything they thought they knew come into question lmaooooo https://t.co/tfeMNhkiQJ
— Injera Mami 🇪🇹🪴 (@GloriaAlamrew) April 5, 2022
While coordinating schedules might be daunting, it’s cool to see that even though we are living on the same planet, we can still be living in very different worlds.
This article originally appeared on 4.13.22
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."