Ashenda
| Ashenda | |
|---|---|
 Tigray celebrating Ashenda | |
| Official name | Ashenda |
| Also called | Girls' Day |
| Observed by | Northern Ethiopia Tigrayans , Agew |
| Type | Cultural |
| Begins | 16 August |
| Ends | 26 August |
| Date | After the end of Filseta |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Filseta |
Ashenda is a traditional women and girls' festival that is celebrated every year on the days 13−29 August1 by girls and young women in northern Ethiopia, especially all over the Regional State of Tigray. Even though the basic content and celebration of the Ashenda festival is the same through out Tigray, it has different names in different locations. For instance around Enderta and Kilite-Awlaelo districts it is called Ashenda, while in Agame (Adigrat city and its environs), it is called Maria, and around Axum it is Ayni-wari.
During all these process and activities, to express their exitment and welcome to the festival, girls sing the following song. “መፀት መፀት ኣሸንዳ ዕምበብ መፀት ኣሸንዳዋይ ናይ ዓሚ ናይ ዓሚየ ተራኺብና ሎሚየ ማርያምዋይ ፀሓይ መፂአያ እኮ ታ መፅበዓይ ማርያምዋይ ፀሓይ መፂአለኹ ናብ መፅብዓይ ሚኪኤለይ ፀሓይ መፂአያ እኮ ታ መፅበዓየ መፂአለኹ ናብ መፅብዓይ"
Ashenda (Tigregna: አሸንዳ ; romanized: äšänəda) is an annual girls’ festival celebrated in Northern Ethiopia. The festival commences after two weeks of Filseta. During Filseta, people fast throughout the day. Ashenda Started as religiousto honor Mary, Mother of God, but it is transformed into cultural festival.
Although Ashenda originated from the Tigray people, today it is also celebrated by Gurages[1]and Amharas. ” [1] today it is also celebrated by Gurages[2]and Tigrayans.[3]
Celebration[edit] Leading up to Ashenda, women and girls will prepare to adorn themselves with jewelry, dresses, henna, and diverse cultural hairstyles. They typically wear white cotton dresses, which have colorful embroidery, called tilfi.[2] They also wear a lot of jewelry. They weave ashenda grass into a bunch and wear it on their backs or as a skirt. Girls often wear five cornrows in their hair, as well as Kohl eyeliner.
On the first day of the festival, girls gather together and make the journey to their local Church of St. Mary (or any other Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the community), singing, playing music, and dancing along the way. They then go around the entire village, expressing their thanks to each household in the community. The Ashenda girls spend around 20 minutes at each house, entertaining families and themselves, before being bid farewell. After the door-to-door celebrations, the girls find a suitable field in or near the village, stopping to dance and play as they pass by.
The Ashenda festival is intended for women only. However, men may play the role of protectors and gift-givers, offering the ladies food, clothes, and other presents. Most of the time the gifts will include traditional decorated bread locally called 'Himbasha' (ሕምባሻ), a prepared traditional chicken stew, traditional honey wine or 'Mes' (ሜስ) and traditional beer or Siwa (ስዋ). Through time, gifts in cash have also become very common. After the gifts are presented, members of the household will make a promise for the coming year's Ashenda celebration to present the girls with an even better gift.
Name
[edit]Ashenda, in the Tigregna language, describes not only the festival by the same name but also the grass worn and the flowers exchanged by the ladies during festivities.[4]
Owing to dialectical differences, Ashenda may go under the name “Ashendeya” in some parts of the Amhara region. One may also hear “Shadey,” derived from the Amharic word for the seasonal flower “Adey”.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Jack Fellman, "Amhara Verbal Behaviour," p. 8
- ^ GishAbay Ethiopia, "Gurage Ethiopia"
- ^ Aiga News, "A Living Ritual"
- ^ Thomas Leiper Kane (1990), "Amharic-English Dictionary," p. 1181
- ^ Bahiru Zergaw Gizaw (1994), "Keftegna Yeamarinya Mezgebe Kalat," p. 392
External links
[edit]- Addis Fortune News, "Heritage Inscription Woes Exasperate Floundering Tourism Industry"
- UNESCO, "Format for National Register of thé Intangible Cultural Héritages of Ethiopia"