Missed the Millennium? Catch it in Ethiopia

The countdown has started on a flickering billboard high above a roundabout in Ethiopia's capital, blinking out in red and gold letters: only 209 days, 15 hours, 22 minutes and 22 seconds to the Millennium.

Seven years after much of the world marked the beginning of the 21st century, Ethiopia is finally approaching the year 2000, thanks to a unique and ancient system of measuring time.

A variation on the archaic Julian calendar last used in other nations in the 16th century means Ethiopia will not enter the year 2000 until September 12 this year.

"When everyone else celebrated their millennium, they said all sorts of things were going to happen, but nothing happened," Addis Ababa-based film director Tatek Tadesse said.

"Now all the prophecies they made about 2000 will happen this time round on the true Millennium. It will be a new age for Ethiopia," said Tatek who is putting the final touches to a film inspired by the historic event.

Unlike the Gregorian calendar used widely in the West, Ethiopia's version squeezes 13 months into every year 12 months comprising 30 days each and a final month made up of just five or six days.

An appeal for 200 million Ethiopian birr ($22.6 million) has gone out to pay for official celebrations.

Festivities will include a nationwide music festival, a series of cultural conferences, the planting of 56 million trees, and building a national academy for 2,000 poor but gifted students.