September 11th is a day of celebration for the people of Ethiopia as they cheer the coming of the third millennium.

The explanation for this lies in the history of the Western calendar system. When Europe converted to the Gregorian calendar in 1582, Ethiopians stuck with the Julian calendar, which they had been using happily for centuries.

Consequently, the seven-year adjustment that Europe underwent in the 16th century never took place in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian calendar remains approximately seven years behind the one used in most of the rest of the Christian world.

Enormous red, yellow, and green banners flutter from the sides of most major buildings in the capital, Addis Ababa, showing off the country's colors. Women in traditional white embroidered dresses dance through shopping malls while onlookers cheer. Residents are buzzing about which star-studded party they want to be at Wednesday.

Many Ethiopians are in a mood to put the country's domestic political tensions aside in the wake of the recent release of several opposition leaders who were jailed for nearly two years after protesting the 2005 elections, which international observers criticized as flawed.

Despite some concerns that rebel groups both inside and out of the country could try to derail the festivities with attacks, officials are confident that the celebrations will happen without incident.

"Addis Ababa is one of the most secure cities in the region, even the world," says information and tourism minister Mohammed Dirir. "Security has been taken care of, because we know that the government of neighboring archrival Eritrea in the past has tried to launch attacks."

The main event on tap for Wednesday night is a musical concert featuring The Black Eyed Peas, a Los Angeles-based pop group, as well as dozens of top Ethiopian artists.

The $1.2 million concert, which was supposed to be free to the public, has been shifted to a new $10-million conference hall that construction workers were working day and night to complete, right up until Wednesday.

Only those able to pay $170 – two months' earnings for the average Ethiopian – will be allowed to enter, but the event will be broadcast live on television and on a big screen at a stadium open to the public.