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My Page of African Culture
There are Many celebrations in our Countrty.
Below is a short list of the times these Celebrations Take Place
Name |
Where |
TIME |
Elmina |
July |
|
Agona Nyakrom/Agona Swedru |
August |
|
Manhyia, Kumasi |
Every 6 weeks |
|
Cape Coast |
September |
|
Akropong |
September |
|
Anloga |
November |
|
Odumase |
February |
It is an annual festival, observed by the chiefs and people of Elmina in the Central Region of Ghana.
History of Festival
Bakatue Means "Opening up of the Benya Lagoon into the Sea". It is to celebrate the begining of the fishing season.
Before the celebration begins there is a six week ban on noise no drumming or other loud noises and ban on fishing. Fishing is the mail livelyhood of the people of Elmina
How it is celebrated
The festival is a week-long activity, usually held during summer in June/July. The wonderful ceremony include processions (drumming, singing and dancing) in the town.Also, there is the performance of regatta of canoes on the Benya Lagoon.
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The Event that takes Place in August. The festival literally meaning “path-clearing”, is celebrated by the people of Agona in the Central Region. The Asafo companies weed footpaths leading to the streams or rivers, farms and other communal places, as well as paths which lead to shrines.
The following day, the whole community assembles at the ancestral shrines and libation is poured by the chief to the ancestral spirits to thank them for their protection during the previous year and then request for more blessing, abundant rainfall and good harvest for the ensuing year.
At the stream or riverside where some of the sacrifices are offered, alligators and other species of fish come out to enjoy the mashed yams sprinkled on the water.
With their bodies smeared with clay, the people then parade with twigs and tree branches through the town in groups amidst drumming, dancing and firing of musketry.
In a procession, they go through the principal routes and then to the durbar ground to meet the chief and his elders. There is a vigil kept at night and patronized mainly by the youth.
It is a time when people come together to renew family and social ties. Performing groups, which are dormant are revitalized and new groups initiated.
Akwasidae festivals are held in Ghana every six weeks, honouring the ancestors and the Ashanti king.
Akwasidae is an ornate ceremony, commemorating the date that the Ashanti Golden Stool was magically brought down from heaven. The festival therefore features a golden stool alongside the central feature of attention, the Ashanti King, who is carried on a palanquin through the procession of Ashanti people who have come to pay homage to their King. It is a beautiful and spectacular site, with colourful canopies and umbrellas amongst drummers, dancers, hornblowers and singers who perform in honour of their ancestral spirits.
The dates suggested below are tentative, as the festival may be celebrated at other times or irregular intervals. Check with local authorities or the tourist office before making commitments or plans.
Fetu Afahye
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Fetu Afahye (Carnival) The most attractive aspects of Ghanaian cultural life are that of the colourful traditional festivals and durbars which are frequently held in all part of the country. |
| The festival is very colourful and it’s like a grand festival there is a processing of chiefs, drumming, dancing and firing of musketry but this is uniqueness in the traditional attire of the various warrior groups and the slaughtering o a cow in public for the 77 gods of Oguaa (Cape Coast). There is also a display of traditional priests and priestesses on Monday night, which attracts large crowd mainly the youth and thousands of people including foreigners from all over the country travel to witness the festival. This festival has effect of creating in the people a feeling of pride in their cultural heritage and spiritual affinity. During this occasion it also gives people the opportunity to meet old friends and relatives they’ve missed for a long time. But there is another significant feature ceremony “Bakatue" involves cutting through the sand bar separating the Fosu lagoon and the sea to allow the lagoon access into the sea presumably to bring more fish into the lagoon. The Omanhene (Paramount Chief) as part of the event, pours libation to the deity, Nana Fosu, Omanhenes’ net is cast three times into the lagoon to signify the lifting of the ban on lagoon fishing. Various fishermen’s groups in the municipality organize a regatta or board race on the lagoon. A grand Durban climaxes the festival. |
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Odwira
Odwira isan Akan (the populous ethnic group in Ghana) word, which means purification. Aperiod of forty days is declared for meditation and rest before the festival. This periodis called ‘Adaebutuw’.
TThhee f ffees sst tti iivvvaaal ll ppeer rri iioodd. ..
The Odwira celebration lasts for a week. It starts on Monday and ends on Sunday.
Special rituals are performed on each day.
On Monday, the path leading to the royal mausoleum is cleared. This is to enable the
ancestors who are believed to join the celebrations to travel home safely.
Tuesday is the day that Akuapem citizens are allowed to eat new yams. A ban is
always placed on the eating of new yams before the Odwira festival. The chief
Executioner and state Executioners fetch the sacred Odwira symbol from the royal
mausoleum early in the morning.
On Wednesday, people put on mourning cloths and fast throughout the day to
remember dead relatives. People wail, drink and drum.
Thursday is a day of general feasting. People are free to visit any home, including the
chief’s palace to eat. In the afternoon, bowls of mashed yam and boiled eggs are
carried in a procession from the chief’s palace to the ancestors at a shrine. This place is
where most of the ancestors were buried.
The highlight of the festival is Friday. A grand durbar of chiefs is organised around
noon. The Okuapehene, the Queenmother and senior chiefs are carried in state
palanquins and paraded through the major streets. Drumming, dancing, firing of
musketry and a lot of merry making accompany them.
The ‘Krontihene’ of Akuapem holds a special durbar on Sunday as part of the Odwira
festival.
The Anlo Ewes, an ethnic group on the eastern coast of Ghana, are believed to have settled in Notsie in Togo when they first migrated from Southern Sudan. Legend has it that they escaped from the tyrannical ruler of Notsie, Ago-Koli, by walking backwards. In order to commemorate the exodus and the bravery of their traditional rulers who led them on the journey, the people created this annual ""Festival of the Exodus"". There are many ceremonies associated with the festival, including a peace-making period where all outstanding problems are supposed to be resolved. This is a purification ceremony of the traditional stool and a period of general cleaning when the villages are swept and rubbish burnt. This cleaning ceremony begins at the Volta Estuary and goes on for days until it finally reaches the Mono River in the Republic of Benin. An essential aspect of the festival is a durbar of Chiefs and the people. Chiefs dress in very colouful regalia and sit in state to receive homage from their subjects. Dancing, singing and general merry-making go on throughout the festival. The main durbars always take place on the first Saturday of November in Anloga, 15km west of Keta, a two and half hour drive from Accra.
The Dipo signifies a girl's transition from adolescence into womanhood. Celebrated by the Krobo tribe, this ceremony introduces young girls to a more mature society. In order to take part in this ancient rite, a girl must have her virginity. If it is found out that a girl's innocence has been lost, banishment from the tribe would be the end result.
This African tradition is Still celebrated, the Dipo Puberty Festival takes place on the first Saturday in May each year.