Ghana’s Traditional Festivals: A View into Our Unique Cultural Heritage.
Have you ever experienced the excitement of a Traditional Festival? Usually quiet mornings are charged with a sense of anticipation built up from weeks of preparation. Local communities bustle with happy conversations about upcoming festivities. Family members from all over the country and world return home to warm welcomes and delicious meals. And above all, everyone from traditional leaders to young children, become deeply invested in and celebrate the traditional culture of the community.
It’s said that at least thirty traditional festivals are celebrated each year in Ghana. Within this larger group there are about ten major festivals that are often viewed as the landmark traditional celebrations; each representing a major Ghanaian region. Indeed, while ethnicity is often used to categorize Ghanaian festivals on one level, many cultural experts today agree that categorizing these various traditional ceremonies by theme is a more informative method. Looking across the board, one can identify three major themes among Ghanaian festivals. These include: festivals that celebrate seasons of harvest, festivals that celebrate ancestors and spiritual renewal and festivals that commemorate great events of the past.
Regardless of the type of food involved, a bountiful Harvest is always a time for joy, hope and merry making in Ghanaian farming communities. These festive occasions not only serve as an opportunity for bonding but also allow the people and leaders to offer thanksgiving to their traditional deities for the new harvest. One of the most famous of such Harvest festivals is the Homowo Festival celebrated by the Ga people of Accra. In fact, Homowo spans both the planting and harvest seasons, starting around May and ending with the grand finale in August. According to legend, Homowo (a Ga word meaning to hoot at hunger) is celebrated to commemorate the victory of Ga ancestors over a historic famine. Claiming lineage from ancient Israel, these ancestors were said to have migrated all the way to present day Accra. On their arrival, they faced a devastating famine that threatened their survival. However with the fortuitous coming of rains, the people were able to grow and harvest a bounty of corn that generously fed the community.
It is this victory over hunger and despair that forms the essence of many other harvest Festivals like Homowo and as such, food becomes the centerpiece of celebration. Kpekple, a delicious traditional Ga dish made out of ground maize and palm nut oil, is the official dish of Homowo. On the principal day of the festival, large Families and neighbors alike come together to prepare Kpekple early in the morning. During the day a number of traditional rites are performed culminating in a grand procession across towns by the Ga chiefs and elders. During this procession libation is poured and Kpekple is sprinkled to purify the land and offer a token meal to thank ancestral deities for the successful harvest.
The Bakatue Festival, celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of Elmina is another major Harvest Festival. Observed on the first Tuesday in the month of July, the Bakatue festival marks the beginning of the fishing season in Elmina. The name Bakatue comes from Fante dialect and means “the draining of a lagoon”. During the festival, the Paramount Chief and his sub-chiefs and the entire state of Elmina pray for peace and offer the sacred festival food of eggs, mashed yam and palm oil to Nana Brenya, the river god.
Another major type of festival are those that celebrate ancestral bonds and Spiritual renewal. More often than not, festivals of spiritual renewal are spearheaded by the traditional chiefs and elders and involve special rites and rituals that have been passed down for centuries. Perhaps the best example of this type of festival is the Akwasidae Festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of Ashanti heritage. The Akwasidae Festival is very unique, as it is celebrated throughout the year rather than on one specific date. Based on the ancient Ashanti traditional calendar, Akwasidae is observed every six weeks, with the actual day of celebration falling on the last Sunday of each six week period. According to tradition, these Sundays are sacred and are set aside to honor Divine deities of the Ashanti people. Interestingly, the name Akwasidae consists of two terms: “Akwasi” meaning Sunday and “Dae” meaning rest. Indeed these days are seen as opportunities to rest and recharge spiritual batteries through the blessings of the gods and ancestors.
Special rites performed on each Akwasidae include the cleansing of ancestral stools, pouring of libation and offering of diverse sacrifices on behalf of the Ashanti community. Among the nine sundays that Akwasidae is celebrated, there is one day that is given the highest status and is seen as the Grand finale; the Adaekese. This momentous day brings together the entire hierarchy of Ashanti traditional community including the Paramount chief of the Ashanti people, The Asantehene. A massive durbar is held at his palace the Manhyia Palace, where sub chiefs from the entire region pay homage to the paramountcy of the Asantehene. Furthermore, following with the theme of spiritual renewal, all the chiefs and people present at the durbar have the rare opportunity to see the legendary Golden Stool. Said to have been conjured centuries ago by the famous Ashanti Fetish Priest Akomfo Anokye, The Golden Stool is seen as the core symbol of Ashanti spirituality and ancestors and legend suggests that souls of all Ashanti are connected to the stool. After the relevant rites have been performed to bless the stool, the celebration is capped off by a magnificent display of Ashanti culture. Rows of energetic men fill the air with the sound of drumming and booming horns while the best dancers of the region perform the intricate Adowa traditional dances with excitement. Elaborate processions are held where distinguished Ashanti kings and queens ride in majestic palanquins, displaying the rich colors of their royal Kente garments. Ultimately, those who celebrate Adaekese leave feeling refreshed after reconnecting with their spiritual and cultural heritage.
The third major category of traditional festivals in Ghana are those that commemorate great past events and heroes. The Hogbetsotso festival, celebrated by Anlo chiefs and people is one example of such festivals that have a truly fascinating origin story. Hogbetsotso (which translates to ‘festival of exodus’) is celebrated on the first Saturday of November to remember the difficult migration of Anlo ancestors from Notsie, Togo to their present settlement in Ghana. According to legend the ancient ancestors of the Anlo in Ghana lived in a town called Notsie in the central region of present day Togo. The people were ruled by a ruthless King called Togbe Agorkoli, who made his people suffer inhumane treatment and hard labor. Attempts by the people to escape were halted by a vast defensive wall around the town. However, through ingenuity, their ancestors were able to escape by weakening the mud wall with water and breaking through in mass. As they made their escape to a new settlement further south, the people carried only their most prized possessions on their heads and walked backwards so as to confuse and loose the trail of their pursuers. Indeed, it is the memory and method of this great escape that forms the foundation of the Hogbetsotso festival celebrated today.
The major traditional ewe dances, Abadza, Atsiagbekor and Husago, performed during the Hogbetsotso festival, symbolize this incredible migration. During the dance, women of all ages sing legendary songs and dance excitedly while moving backwards; mimicking the unique way their ancestors escaped Notsie. They even carry a collection of precious belongings on their head as their ancestors did. Other aspects of the festival include period of peace and reconciliation for all disputes in the community as well as collaborative cleaning and renovation of community grounds and buildings. Other Traditional Ghanaian festivals that commemorate past events include Aboakyere Celebrated by the people of Winneba in the Central Region and Odwira celebrated by the people of Akuapem in the Eastern Region.
Indeed, traditional festivals hold a very special place in the lives of Ghanaians across the nation. They strongly connect Ghanaian communities to their rich cultural heritage and serve as a foundation on which future generations can experience renewal and build solidarity. Especially within the past few decades, traditional festivals have also played an important role in local socio-economic development. By providing platforms for dialogue and identifying challenges to the community, festivals allow Ghanaian communities an important opportunity to reflect on their progress from one year to the next. Additionally, the fact that most festivals bring together chiefs, elders and local government officials, ensures that community members are able to seek accountability and advocate for relevant development programs and projects. With so many important aspects, it’s no surprise that traditional festivals continue to remain popular and are enjoyed by people from diverse, cultures, faiths and ethnicities. In spite of the differences in how they are celebrated, these traditional festivals share certain common threads that make them undoubtedly Ghanaian.
