Questions and Answers about Culture & Lifestyle
What you need: An old handbag, clutch purse or school bag African print fabric (kitenge, Ankara) Some Glue A pair of scissors A knife 1. Remove the covering of your old bag, which will most likely be peeled leather or any other fabric for making bags. 2. Measure the fabric you need to wrap…
“Habesha” refers to people who come from Ethiopia or Eritrea in East Africa (at the horn of Africa). So a Habesha wedding is simply a wedding celebrated from these parts or by the Habesha people.
What is Melse or Melsi? A typical Eritrean or Ethiopian wedding runs for two days. The “white wedding” usually takes place on day one, while “Melsi” or “Melse” happens on day two. Melsi is the traditional wedding, beginning in the morning with beauty rituals for the bride; from braiding her hair, adorning jewelry to henna…
“Akokobaatan” – Mother Hen Symbolic of motherliness, parental care, discipline and tenderness. From the proverb “when the hen steps on the feet of her chicks, she doesn’t mean to kill them”. (Little box of squares forming a diamond shape)
“Kyemfere” Zigzag pattern. Symbol of knowledge, experience, service, time…
Kente Cloth Patterns and Their Meanings Symbol of exploitation or being overburdened with work. From the proverb – ” I cannot even carry the python, yet you are asking me to use the puff adder’s head as the carrying pad.” Photo of bride in Kente and red beaded dress by PK Hazel.
Kente is an interwoven cloth, usually silk or cotton, originally native to the Akan people of Ghana. It is now worn by most Ghanaians and other Africans. Kente is known for its exceptional colours and patterns, which actually have proverbial or distinct meanings. Here are the popular colours of the Kente material and what…
Coral beads are actually the red exoskeleton of the Precious Coral or Red Coral Species called Corallium Rubrum. The Corallium Rubrum a.k.a Red Coral lives mainly in the Mediterranean sea, but may also be found in the Sea of Japan, Canary Isles and Bay of Biscay. The Red Coral contains calcium carbonate, magnesium and organic…
