Bloom seasons and flower fields · in season now
Meskel daisies in the Ethiopian highlands
When the rains end in September, yellow daisies cover the Ethiopian highlands for the new year.
Presented by ClearTrust Free for gardeners, florists, travellers and the curious.
What it is
The Ethiopian year begins in September, as the long rains stop. At the same moment the highlands turn yellow with a wild daisy called adey abeba. It grows on roadsides, in fields and on the hills around Addis Ababa. The flower is the sign of the new year, Enkutatash, when children carry bunches from house to house and sing. It is also tied to Meskel, the feast of the finding of the True Cross at the end of the month, when the great bonfires are decorated with the same flowers. The bloom lasts into October.
Before you go
- Drive or walk out of the city into the Entoto hills to see the flowers in the open.
- Enkutatash falls on 11 September in most years and Meskel on 27 September.
- Join the Meskel eve bonfire crowd with a local guide.
The flowers you will see
Also part of it, and being written: Bidens.
Original text by the Phool desk, written with AI assistance. Background: "Enkutatash" on Wikipedia. Bloom dates move with the weather, and markets and gardens change their hours: check locally before you travel. If we have something wrong, tell us.