Millennium celebrations in Ethiopia
Updated on 12 September 2007
They've waited seven and a half years longer than most of the world - but Ethiopians have finally welcomed in the new Millennium.
Ethiopia's New Year date is set by the Orthodox Church and is timed to coincide with the Nile floods.
The country follows a calendar that squeezes 13 months into every year.
"A thousand years from now, when Ethiopians gather to welcome the fourth millennium, they shall say the eve of the third millennium was the beginning of the end of the dark ages in Ethiopia."Meles Zenawi, Ethiopian prime minister
A new era
Tens of thousands of revellers packed the streets of the capital Addis Ababa to count down the seconds to the year 2000.
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said the celebrations should mark the vast Horn of Africa nation's renaissance.
