If the millennium was a disappointment first time out, there's another opportunity to get it right by celebrating a new millennium on September 12th with Ethiopia, which is still in 1999, writes Marie O'Halloran

Ethiopians in Ireland will mark the new era with a three-day cultural celebration of music, food, coffee ceremonies, dancing and exhibitions at Marlay Park in Dublin from September 7th to 9th.

The east African country, 50 per cent of whose population is Christian, adheres to the old Julian calendar, which the rest of the Christian world abandoned in 1582 in favour of the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox Church's view is that Christ was born seven years and just over eight months later than the timing that other Christian churches observe.

The Ethiopian calendar has 12 months of 30 days each and a 13th month of five days, or six during a leap year. Ethiopia normally celebrates its new year on September 11th, but this is a leap year, so September 12th marks the millennium.

The country's slowly growing tourist industry has adopted the catchphrase that tourists will be "seven years younger" by visiting. Among the visitors are tens of thousands of Ethiopia's diaspora of an estimated two million people, and the government is hoping to use the millennium to encourage them to return permanently and invest.

Known as the "cradle of civilisation" after the remains of "Lucy", a skeleton three million years old, were discovered in 1974, Ethiopia also claims to be home to the Ark of the Covenant. Its Christian tradition is most celebrated in Lalibela, where pilgrims can visit more than a dozen churches dating from the 12th century and hewn out of rock.

Official government millennium efforts will focus on fighting poverty and building trade, investment and tourism.

The country has almost completed a major tree-planting scheme.

Goitom Kahsay, first secretary at the Ethiopian embassy in Dublin, said: "We are celebrating the millennium by planting one billion trees. So far, 700 million seedlings have been planted and by the end of August it will be one billion."

The government, with donor assistance, is also distributing 20 million treated malaria bed-nets to protect from the deadly disease.

Exhibitions of Ethiopian artefacts, regional concerts and a millennium run led by Ethiopia's celebrated Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie are among the schedule of events in Ethiopia. There will be a big party, but the government "is not going to spend a penny for this", said Mr Kahsay.

This includes a concert at the controversial 20,000-seat millennium hall in Addis Ababa being privately built at a cost of $10 million (€7.32 million) by billionaire Sheikh Mohammed Al Amoudi, with speculation that US stars such as Beyonce will perform.

Events at Marlay Park will celebrate the country's 80 ethnic groups with a display of costumes; a photographic and poster exhibition; food tasting, music and dance and demonstrations of the country's traditional coffee-making ceremony, a ritual to welcome visitors.

Coffee originated in Ethiopia in the Kefa region and Ethiopia is the leading African exporter of coffee from its Sidama, Yirgachefe and Harer regions.

For more information, visit www.ethiopia2000.com; www.ethiopianmillennium.com