The Ashanti Yam Festival is an annual celebration of the
Ashanti people
The Asante, also known as Ashanti () are part of the Akan ethnic group and are native to the Ashanti Region of modern-day Ghana. Asantes are the last group to emerge out of the various Akan civilisations. Twi is spoken by over nine million Asante ...
of
Ashanti. It marks the first harvest of
yams during the
autumn season, after the
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...
season. The yam is the staple food crop in Ashanti and most of
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
.
Observance
The festival, a national holiday, is observed for five days starting with a Tuesday, as dictated by the local chief priest. It marks the first harvest of yams during the autumnal season, subsequent to the monsoon season. This festival has both religious and economic significance. Religiously, the festival is used to thank the god and the ancestors for the new harvest and to traditionally outdoor the new yam.
Traditions
The first offering of the crop is made to the ancestral gods by the chief priest of the Ashanti; the religious rite includes taking the yams on the second day of the festival in a procession to the ancestral ground. Music and dance are part of the festivities on all the five days.
The festival is also popular because the King supervises the performance of the
ablution
Ablution is the act of washing oneself. It may refer to:
* Ablution as hygiene
* Ablution as ritual purification
** Ablution in Islam:
*** Wudu, daily wash
*** Ghusl, bathing ablution
*** Tayammum, waterless ablution
** Ablution in Christianity
* ...
ceremony by cleaning all the ancestral royal
Stools (chairs). Another tradition during this festival is the melting of royal gold ornaments, ancient in design, and with due approval of the Government, to fashion them into new designs. During this festival, the King does not permit human sacrifice, nor is the death drum allowed to be beaten as it is an auspicious occasion of purification.
[
]
Rituals
Before the start of the festival celebrations, the king inspects the Dampan structure which is erected temporarily to hold the public function.[ On the first day of the festival, the way to the burial ground of the Chiefs of Asantis is swept clean. On the second day, the yam is carried by the priests in a colourful procession for offering to the ancestors buried in the burial chambers. Only after this offering is completed are people allowed to consume the new crop of yam. The third day is observed as a mourning day for the ancestors and also to keep a fast. On the fourth day, the chief hosts a dinner at his house for all people. On the night of the fourth day, people remain indoors to avoid witnessing the cleansing of the chiefs' thrones, symbols of the dead people's spirits, in the Draa River at ]Kumasi
Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...
. On the fifth day, a grand parade of the chief and his family, and courtiers, all dressed in regal finery, proceeds through the streets to pay respects to the senior local chief at his residence. In the parade, some people are carried in colourful decorated palanquin
The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...
s shaded by umbrellas.
See also
*Adae Festival
Adae Festival (Twi: "resting place") is a celebration in Ashanti. Considered a day of rest, it is the most important ancestral custom of the Ashanti people.
Observance
Within a six-week cycle, Adae has two celebration days, once on a Sunday ('' ...
*Adae Kese Festival Adae Kese Festival ("big resting place") is an important albeit rare celebration among the Ashantis in Ghana.There are two main periods for this celebration. 1 is awukudae and akwadidae It glorifies the achievements of the Asante kingdom. It was fi ...
*Akwasidae Festival
The Akwasidae Festival (alternate, Akwasiadae) is celebrated by the Ashanti people and chiefs in Ashanti, as well as the Ashanti diaspora. The festival is celebrated on a Sunday, once every six weeks.
Observance
The Akan annual calendar is div ...
*Awukudae Festival
Awukudae Festival (meaning: "Wednesday ceremony", or "sacred Wednesday") is a traditional Ashanti festival in Ashanti. Like the Akwasidae Festival, celebrated on a Sunday, Awukudae is part of the celebrations within the Adae Festival cycle. The ...
References
Bibliography
*
*{{cite book, last1= Akua, first1= Nana , last2= Opokuwaa , first2= Kyerewaa , title= The Quest for Spiritual Transformation: Introduction to Traditional Akan Religion, Rituals And Practices , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ax0FxTUykP4C&pg=PR92, access-date=25 November 2012, year=2005, publisher= iUniverse, isbn=978-0-595-35071-1, page=92
Ashanti people
Cultural festivals in Ghana
Ashanti Region
Festivals in Ghana
Food and drink festivals in Ghana
Yam festivals