Residents of Mekelle, a city in northern Ethiopia, are filled with happiness and anticipation as they commemorate the Ashenda Festival.
The cultural event was stopped because of a two-year civil war that ended in November.
This is a big festival that happens in Tigray, Amhara, and Eritrea. It is celebrated to show respect to the Virgin Mary going up to heaven.
The name Ashenda comes from the type of grass that young women and girls use to decorate their traditional dresses by tying it around their waist.
Even though it’s raining, girls and young women go out in groups of six to eight. They sing Ashenda songs as they visit different houses. In return, they are given bread and a local beer called siwa.
After that, they go to a field or park that’s close by. They take it easy and sing for the people who walk by.
Men are advised to give gifts of money as a way of saying thank you. Usually, this money is given to the Orthodox Church or other charities after the celebration.
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Tigray celebrates a festival amid its post-war happiness
