Shadey, Ashenda, Ashendye or solel is a girl’s festival in Northern Ethiopia. The name of the festivals comes from the tall grass ashendeye, which girls put on their waist in time of the festival. The day is most colorfully celebrated in Sekota, Meklle and Lalibela.
It is celebrated starting from August 16 till August 24 Ethiopian calendar (august 21 till august 29 Gregorian calendar) every year after the end of the fasting called Fileseta by Ethiopian Orthodox church laity’s.
The day is the annual festival of the ascension of St Virgin Marry. On this day like her son Jesus Christ, St Virgin merry ascends to heaven accompanied by lightning Angels with Psalter and praise.
As many religious Orthodox book the day of the ascension of St Virgin marry was celebrated for a long period of time by Apostles, saints and religious forefathers with Psalter and praise in different parishes.
Based on this religious interpretation girls of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church annually colourfully celebrate the day.
WHY FOR ONLY GIRLS?
As the teaching of the Ethiopian Orthodox church God closed the door of heaven due to the doing of EVE and again open the gate of heaven due to St Virgin Marry. So for girls who followed Ethiopian Orthodox Church, St Virgin Marry is the means of reconciliation between God and EVE. That is why girls celebrate the day more than boys.
WHY WHITE COSTUME AND TALL GREEN GRASS?
The ascension of St Virgin Marry was accompanied by lightning angels and saints. There was Psalter and praise for the sanctity of St Virgin Marry. Reminding that, girls wear traditional white costume which is called QEMIS to resemble the lightning angels and put tall grass on their waist which is called Ashendeye. The meaning of the grass relates with the ending of rainy season in Ethiopia and the olive of the dove in time of great flood of NOAH that signals the end of the big rain.
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