Every year, the Ashenda festival is observed, usually between August 16 and August 26. For Ethiopians around the globe, especially Tigrayan, Amhara, and Agew ladies, it is a significant occasion. Women and girls in Ethiopia anticipate this Girls’ Day festivity all year long. The term “Ashenda” refers to the long, green grass that the females make into a skirt and decorate their waist with. The grass is thought to be at least 80-90 cm tall. The celebration began as a religious one to commemorate the end of the Filseta, a two-week fast, and the ascension of the Virgin Mary to heaven after her dormition. Girls from many different religious backgrounds now celebrate it as a cultural festival. Women and girls will get ready for Ashenda by getting ready to beautify themselves with jewellery, clothes, henna, and other traditional hairstyles. Ethiopian girls congregate and travel to their neighbourhood Church of St. Mary on the first day of the festival, performing music and dancing along the way. They then go throughout the entire hamlet and convey their gratitude to every home. The Ashenda girls entertain the families and themselves for about 20 minutes at each home before being bid farewell, typically with gifts of cash, food, or drink. After the door-to-door festivities, the girls locate a suitable field in or close to the hamlet, where they spend one to seven days dancing and having fun while passing males are urged to give them gifts.
