Ethiopians celebrate New Year, which begins on September 11 and on September 12 during the leap year. It’s like the world’s having a second chance to celebrate a Millennium with no Y2K concerns. The Ethiopian calendar, like that of the Coptic, has 12 months of 30 days each and a 13th month of 5 days or 6 days every fourth year and is seven years back from the Gregorian calendar.

The San Jose-based Ethiopian Community Services Center and the Oakland-based Ethiopian Community and Cultural Center together invited the entire Bay Area community to a mega two-day Millennium celebration Sept 8 & 9 at Guadalupe River Park in down town San Jose. The highlight of the event was performances by Mesgana Dancers of Ethiopia. Watch SHORT CLIPS of their performances - shrink your browser window to get a better picture.).

The Mesgana Dancers of Ethiopia are a troupe of 11 adorable girls from Addis Ababa. Ranging in age from 7 to 12, the Mesgana Dancers perform traditional dances of their native Ethiopia, in costumes that reflect the country's richly diverse culture. This shoulder-shaking celebration of rhythm, costume and movement benefits educational programs for children in Ethiopia. The Mesgana Dancers of Ethiopia bring a message of hope and girl power as well as a bridge-building, shoulder-shaking, spirit-moving celebration of dance. Norman Perdue is the founder and director of The Mesgana Dancers. For more info, visit Children of Ethiopia Education Fund