Ethiopian spring festivals represent a celebration of the transition of the season that is associated with the integral aspects of life that depend on the seasonal change of time where the gloomy rainy season known as “Kiremt” leaves room for the sunny summer days and instills happiness which is expressed by thanksgiving celebrations that take place among different cultures of the country.
Ashenda and Shadey are vibrant celebrations that mainly take place in mid-August in areas of Tigray and Amhara in northern Ethiopia respectively. These festivals take different names in the localities they take place: In areas of Wollo–Raya and Kobo this annual celebration is called Solel, Ayniwari in the town of Axum and Mariya in Adigrat. The day is also celebrated in neighbouring Eritrea which shares very similar traditions with areas of Northern Ethiopia.
Celebrated starting from August 19, the festivals mark the end of a two-week-long fast when adherents of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church gather to honor the Virgin Mary. 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 an adornment. The young women and girls put on the best traditional dresses called “tilf” which is a cotton dress decorated with amazing embroidery from the neck to toe. The girls also adorn themselves with an array of beautiful pieces of jewelry.
The festival is a time for women to demonstrate their creative, negotiating, and decision-making skills as well as express their feelings, messages, and critiques with songs and poems.
The warm excitement and joy of the girls and women during Ashenda or Shadey festivals can only be felt in being a part of it and experiencing the breathtaking preparations they undergo before the celebrations kick off.
Inviting you to plan and immerse yourself in this vibrant festivity next year and share the joyous spirit that transpires during Ashenda or Shadey.