Ethiopia's Virgin Mary festival in Tigray cancelled over drone strike fears
The three-day festival of Ashenda takes places as Orthodox Christians commemorate the Virgin Mary. Its name means "the tall green grass" in Tigrinya and has grown into a wider cultural event that celebrates women.
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Key Facts
- Fact 1: The latest drone strike hit Mekelle on Thursday, injuring 13 civilians and damaging homes, Tigray's communications affairs bureau said.
- Fact 2: Regional officials also reported two drone strikes near Dandera, 15km (nine miles) from Mekelle, on 18 August, saying that one person died and another was injured.
- Fact 3: They also said that a strike in Raya-Alamata district on 10 August left three dead.
- Fact 4: In 2022, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the federal government signed a deal ending two years of fighting that its estimated left hundreds of thousands dead.
The three-day festival of Ashenda takes places as Orthodox Christians commemorate the Virgin Mary. Its name means "the tall green grass" in Tigrinya and has grown into a wider cultural event that celebrates women.
It is eagerly anticipated by girls and young women in Tigray and other parts of northern Ethiopia. They dress up, braid their hair in a special way and are free to dance and play together outside, something which is traditionally frowned upon at other times of the year. The latest drone strike hit Mekelle on Thursday, injuring 13 civilians and damaging homes, Tigray's communications affairs bureau said.
(Original synthesis pending human/AI review — generated by the stub provider by selecting real sentences from the source material, not by writing new analysis or commentary.)
Original source: BBC News World
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