Dressed from head to toe in resplendent yellow, Semert Haile passed out flowers as she walked through San José’s Arena Green East Park. “Melkam Enkutatash!” she greeted everyone. “Happy Ethiopian New Year!”
And not even the roaring of airplanes taking off from San José Mineta International Airport nearby was enough to drown out the sound of music and children’s laughter at this Ethiopian New Year celebration. This Enkutatash event was first held in the South Bay in 1991.
Organized in part by the nonprofit Ethiopian Community Services, Sunday’s celebration drew thousands — both Ethiopian residents and supporters — in a testament to the growing strength of the Ethiopian diaspora in the Bay Area’s biggest city.
Just like the Western Gregorian calendar, the Ethiopian Ge’ez calendar is based on the year of Jesus Christ’s birth…