Eritrea

Among the Bilen people of Eritrea, women threw sand over cows to wish for more calves.

During the Sere-mere livestock blessing, women arrived carrying sacks of sand. The cows were rubbed with butter and cow dung, then washed using a plant stem dipped in milk and water.

As the participants sang, the women scattered sand over the animals. The wish was for the herd to multiply until the cattle were as numerous as the grains of sand.