Ashenda | A Tigray Celebration Part 1

During the month of August, for a few days straight, Tigray women and girls all around the world celebrate Ashenda. This article was submitted by Ethiopian model Bethelhem Belay, via Tigrai Online, and gives us some background on what Ashenda is and why it is celebrated. This was so beautiful, we had to share!

P.S. This is Part 1 of the post and in Part 2, we will showcase images of women celebrating Ashenda from all around the world. If you partook in Ashenda this year and would like to share your pictures with us, please tag us on our social media pages or email them to us directly at info@herbigday.info

Enjoy this read, xo.

Ashenda is a unique, Tigraian festival which takes place in August to mark the end of a fasting period called Filseta (Tsome Filseta, Assumption of St. Virgin Mary) in the Ethiopian Orthodox church. It is both a traditional and religious festival. This event is mostly for girls and young women, and is eagerly awaited for each year. It is unique to the people in the state of Tigrai, located in northern Ethiopia. The name of the festival "Ashenda" comes from the name of a tall grass that the girls make into a skirt and wear it around their waist as adornment. The young women and girls dress in their best traditional dresses, called tilfi, a cotton dress decorated with amazing embroidery on the front of the dress from top to bottom. The girls also adorn themselves with an array of beautiful jewelry.

After the girls gather in the village or city center, they divide into small groups and go from house to house, singing and playing their drums. They stop at every house to sing and dance for the people in the houses. It is customary for people to give them money, food, drinks and other items for their efforts. They continue the whole day going from house to house and occasionally stopping in a village or city center, singing and dancing for a while before they continue on their tour.

A week or so after the celebrations start, the event comes to an end with all the girls from the village or town coming together in a central location for more singing and dancing until sundown. This time the young boys join in more like spectators than active players.