FESTIVALS
Festivals are events that are pleasant occasions that all living and dead are more than happy to partake in. it is during this festive season that all who have traveled return home to their relatives, we also believe that the souls of the many departed join the living in celebrations. It is through this medium that we as Ghanaians are able to display to the rest of the world our rich culture, traditions and our second- non hospitable nature.
Ghanaians use festivals to recount migration, success at wars, agricultural success, and hooting at hunger. These various festivals are highlighted at varying times by different groups of the Ghanaian tribes. It is a very colorful spectacle one must dare to witness. Festivals are symbolic occasions that every true citizen of a town makes it a must appearance. Some notable among this festivals are the aboakyeri, homowo and kundum. The chief priest and the chief of that particular traditional area lead the whole celebration followed by the elders and citizens both home and abroad.
Normally each festival start with a visit to the gods, clean the area and mass clean up exercise is organized in the community, sports activities, quiz competition for schools health awareness all this precedes the grand dauber of chiefs.
Most of the festivals in the southern part of the country are about agricultural success while the northern parts celebration is about the triumph over wars they fought during their migration to Ghana land.
The adoration of gods and chiefs are most seen during this festive era where shrines are painted, chiefs in the southern appear in their unique Ghanaian hand woven cloth called kentey and hand made sandals called ahenemaa, whiles chiefs from the northern part appear in smock and hand made leather shoe. During durbar, the type of kentey worn by the chief is not worn by anybody else
In each tribe, there is a spectacular way of climaxing the occasion some posses the streets with carnivals, others like the war celebration outdoor their charms like eating of fire, cutting their throat with very sharp knife, in some case drumming and dancing to traditional tunes
On Sunday, the final day of the celebration a durbar of chiefs is organize where all citizens dressed in their ceremonial cloth, a thanksgiving service, fund raising is made part of the durbar and later it is climax with organizing dinner dance. All families eat the traditional food of their tribe. Tribes like the Ga and northerners have traditional food and drink.
The celebration of festivals comes with its own merits such as settle of dispute among families, chiefs, and individuals. This is because most natives return home during such times and communities initiate developmental projects and finally raise funds for the society
Finally, good and deserving citizens are honored at such occasions and the installation of developmental chiefs.
Concluding I will say Ghanaian festivals are occasions one must endeavor to witness.
Until we met bye.
AUTHOR Neil Owusu Odame