11 September 2025 / 1 መስከረም 2018
Beloved People of Ethiopia,
As we embark upon yet another New Year, it is both fitting and timely that we pause to reflect upon our heritage, to give thanks for the mercies bestowed upon us, and to lift our hopes and prayers for the days to come.
From ancient times, Enkutatash or the New Year has been, for our people, a symbol of renewal and continuity. When our ancestress, the Great Makeda, Queen of Sheba, returned to Ethiopia from Jerusalem, the Ethiopian aristocracy welcomed her with pearls and precious adornments — tokens not only of honor but of the eternal cycles of life, of years and seasons passing, and of our people’s steadfastness through time. This tradition, handed down through the generations, is a living expression of Ethiopian identity, culture and pride.
As we embrace the turning of the year, let us remember that it is our sacred duty to give thanks to Almighty God for His providence, to reflect upon the lessons of the past, and to greet the future with faith and with courage. Yet even as we celebrate, we cannot forget that Ethiopia faces trials of division, conflict, and hardship. It must therefore be the solemn prayer of us all that our people may find peace, healing, and unity — and that persecution, strife, and suffering may yield to reconciliation, justice, and harmony.
In this moment, too, we witness the fulfillment of a vision long cherished by generations. The completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is not merely a triumph of labor and resolve; it is the realization of an ancient aspiration, first studied in the reign of my revered grandfather, His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I. Though constrained by the circumstances of the global economy and political order at the time, His Majesty entrusted to future generations the dream of harnessing Abay for the good of our nation. Today, by the perseverance of our people and under the successive labors of leaders — from the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, and now to Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed — that dream has been brought to fruition.
This is not the achievement of one man, nor of one generation alone, but of Ethiopia united. It stands as a resounding testament to what we can accomplish when national interest transcends all divisions. For this, we give praise to the Almighty, who in His wisdom has permitted the hopes of our ancestors to find their fulfillment in our time.
May this New Year be crowned with peace, health, and unity for Ethiopia and all her children. May God, in His everlasting grace, guard our nation and bless her destiny.
HIH Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie
President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia
