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Harvest Festivals In Ghana

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According to Attah-Fosu (1986), traditional festivals are divided into two different types. That is, the harvest and ancestral festivals. He explained that harvest festivals are celebrated by traditional believers to mark the end of a year and the beginning of another. During such festivals, the first fruits of their labour are offered to the gods who helped them in their agricultural ventures. The Homowo Festival of the Gas, the Yam Festival of Aburi, the Bakatue of Edina and the Aboakyer Festival of the Effutus are all examples of harvest festivals in Ghana. Below examples of harvest and remembrance festivals in Ghana. 2.4.1 Bakatue Festival (Edena, Elmina) Bakatue literally translated to mean “opening up the Brenya Lagoon into the sea”, …show more content…

Bowls of mashed yam and boiled eggs are carried in a procession from the Chief’s palace to the ancestors at a shrine called Nsorem. It is believed that most of the ancestors were buried at this place. In the evening the Black stools are taken to the stream for the ceremonial cleansing. The purification which gives the festival its name “Odwira” is then performed. The ritual is a symbol of the cleansing of the traditional area and the people. This is one of few occasions when the Black stools are taken out of the stool room. Before the stools are taken out, the gong-gong is beaten to warn people to stay indoors. This is because it is a taboo for anybody to see the Black stools. The end of the ceremony is marked by the firing of musketry. After, the chiefs go to the stool room to renew their allegiance to the paramount stool. On Friday, the festival is crowned with a grand durbar of chiefs. The ceremony takes place in the afternoon. The Paramount Chief, the Queen mother and senior chiefs of Akuapem traditional area are carried in state palanquins in a procession through the principal streets of Akropong. They are mostly accompanied by drumming, dancing, firing of musketry (riffle) and a lot of merry making. At the grand durbar, the Senior State Linguist pours libation for the prosperity of the state. Another durbar is held at Amanokrom on Saturday which is the seat of the “Gyaase” division at Akuapem traditional area. Finally, Sunday is a day set aside for the “Krontihene” of Akuapem traditional area to hold his special durbar as part of the Odwira festival (Amoako,

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