Drone Strike Fears Force Cancellation of Ethiopia’s Virgin Mary Festival

Sun Sep 06 2026 06:52:48 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

The iconic Ashenda festival in Mekelle, Tigray has been scrapped after recent drone attacks, amid fears of renewed conflict.

Ethiopia’s Tigray region has cancelled the highly anticipated Ashenda festival, a cultural celebration of the Virgin Mary, after a drone strike on the city. The gathering, which was to host thousands of young women in traditional attire, was deemed too risky amid escalating tensions. Local officials blame the federal armed forces for the strikes, which injured civilians and damaged homes. The cancellation follows a series of attacks near Mekelle and calls for international condemnation. The region, still healing from a two‑year civil war that ended in 2022, now faces uncertain prospects of renewed violence.

Drone Strike Fears Force Cancellation of Ethiopia’s Virgin Mary Festival

Orthodox Christian women in Mekelle, Ethiopia

The Ashenda festival is eagerly anticipated by girls and young women in northern Ethiopia, but this year it has been called off in Mekelle, the main city in Tigray.

Security concerns drove the decision, after a drone attack on Thursday wounded 13 civilians and damaged homes in the city. Following reports of additional strikes near Dandera and in the Raya‑Alamata district, authorities warned that the stadium event could become a target if the conflict flares again.

Tigray’s recent history is marked by a brutal civil war that ended in 2022. Yet tensions remain high, with regional officials accusing the federal government of violating a peace agreement and calling for international condemnation of the attacks.

The festival, which honours the Virgin Mary and celebrates women’s roles in Tigrinya culture, traditionally involves dressing in white, braiding hair with silver necklaces and dancing in the streets. That cultural expression is rare at other times of the year, making the event a highlight of northern Ethiopian life.

The Tigray culture and tourism bureau’s head, Dori Asgedom, announced the cancellation citing ongoing drone strikes and the threat of war. He said the ‘drone attack on innocent citizens in Mekelle city is an act history will not forgive and should be condemned.’

The decision underscores the fragile peace in Tigray, as political tensions ride a quiet spike amid the wider economic and social upheavals across Ethiopia.

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