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10 most famous festivals in Ghana

These festivals also present a wonderful opportunity for the people belonging to different tribes to bond.

There are many festivals that extend over a number of days and include tribal dance and music.

Examples of such occurrences have been hunger, migration, purification of either gods or stools.

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Bakatue festival

The Bakatue Festival is celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of Elmina in the Central region.

The festival, established at least as far back as 1847, is celebrated on the first Tuesday in the month of July every year.

The Dutch reported existence of the festival at least as far back as 1847 and was mentioned in a report by Governor Nagtglas in 1860.

The festival is used to mark the beginning of the fishing season in Elmina.

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The name Bakatue is got from the Fante dialect which translates as draining of a lagoon.

The celebration of the festival was instituted to commemorate the founding of Elmina by the Portuguese in the early days of the colonization of the then Gold Coast.

It also is used to offer thanks and prayers to the gods for a good fishing year.

Hogbetsotso

The Hogbetsotso festival is celebrated by the chiefs and people of Anloga in the Volta region.

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The festival is celebrated annually on the first Saturday in the month of November.

The name of the festival is derived from the Ewe language and translates as, the festival of exodus or "coming from Hogbe.

The celebration of the festival was instituted about four decades ago.

The Anlo are a group of people from a tribe in the eastern coast of Ghana. Prior to their settling in their present location, they lived in Notsie, a town in present-day Togo.

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Homowo

Ceremonies for this festival include a procession of chiefs through principal streets with all twins in the area dressed purposely for the occasion.

All this is done amidst the sprinkling of festive food kpokpoi to the gods and ancestors of the state and it's the Ga's who celebrate the festival.

Odwira

This festival dramatizes the tradition myths and legends of the people, and commemorates a period of remembrance and thanksgiving to the gods for their mercies in the past year, and renewal of family and societies.

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A durbar of chiefs crowns the celebration amidst drumming and dancing.

Adae Kese

The Adae Kese is a festival celebrated to mark specific milestones in the history of the Ashanti Kingdom.

Its first celebration was during the attainment of statehood by the Ashanti kingdom after they fought and defeated the Denkyiras in the battle of Feyiase also known as the Ashanti independence war.

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Kundum festival

The festival which is celebrated by both the Ahantas and the Nzema people of the Western region has a lot of legend behind it.

One school of thought has it that, the origins of the Kundum festival comes from a tree in a village called Aboade whose fruits ripen only once a year.

Thus the people adopted the ripening of the fruit to start the celebration.

Asafotufiami

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Asafotufiami is held annually at Ada in the Greater Accra Region.

It  is celebrated in the first week of August every year.

It is celebrated in remembrance of the achievements of settlements by the ancestors of Ada during wars.

Fetu Afahye

It is celebrated annually on the first Saturday of September by communities in the Cape Coast Traditional Area (Fetu). It is characterized by a durbar of chiefs and processions of "Asafo Companies" (traditional warrior groups) and numerous social organisations.

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Aboakyer festival

The Aboakyer festival is a bushbuck hunting festival celebrated by the people of Winneba in the Central Region.

The name "Aboakyire" translates as 'hunting for game or animal' in Fante dialect.

The festival is celebrated on the first Saturday in May. On the first day of the festival, the two Asafo Companies (warrior groups) in Winneba take part in a hunting expedition.

The first troop to catch a live bushbuck from a game reserve used for this purpose and present it to the chiefs and people at a colorful durbar is declared winner and is highly regarded for bravery.

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The bushbuck is sacrificed and this signifies the start of the Aboakyer festival.

Bugum Festival

Although the Bugum Festival was also linked with Islam, it has become a major event on the traditional calendar too.

It commemorates the flight of Naiyul-Lah Mohammed from Mecca into exile in Medina in AD658.

The festival is celebrated in Dagbon, Gonja, Mamprusi and Nanumba. The events begin with processions from neighbouring villages.

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By nightfall, all the villagers converge at the Chief’s palace with lighted torches. Following special invocations by the Chief, the ceremony illuminate the streets. Festive drumming and dancing continue until the early hours of the morning.

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