Festivals in Ghana are celebrated for many reasons pertaining to a particular tribe or culture, usually having backgrounds relating to an occurrence in the history of that culture. Examples of such occurrences have been hunger, migration, purification of either gods or stools, etc.

Reasons for celebrating festivals

The importance of each festival's celebration includes: * Planning developmental project. The festival is used as an occasions to meet and plan developmental projects in the area since most citizens are likely to attend. * Purification of gods. The period is used to clean ancestral stools and perform important rites. * Thanksgiving. The festival is used to thank the supreme God and the lesser gods for the guidance and protection * National and political significance. Prominent people in the government are invited to explain government policies and programmes. * Dispute resolution. The occasion is used to settle family and individual disputes for peaceful co-existence. * To promote tourism. Some festivals celebrated in Ghana attract many foreign tourists to the country. An example is the Aboakyir festival. Tourism is the third foreign-exchange earner for Ghana.

List of traditional festivals and their month of celebration

Below is a list of all traditional, religious commemorative festivals celebrated throughout the year in

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. These may not entirely consist of festivals of Ghanaian descent.

Commemorating farming season

Kakube festival Kakube Festival is celebrated by the people of Nandom in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The festival is celebrated to show gratitude to the gods for their protection and guidance throughout the farming season and also to mark the end of the farmin ...

Kobine Festival The Kobine festival is celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of Lawra in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The festival is celebrated in the month of September every year. References Festivals in Ghana {{Ghana-stub ...

Commemorating migration

Akwantukese Festival Akwantukese Festival is a festival celebrated by the people of New Juaben traditional area in the Eastern Region of Ghana. It is celebrated to mark the epic journey of the people from Juaben in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. History The Akwantukes ...

Hogbetsotso festival The Hogbetsotso festival ''(pronounced Hogbechocho)'' is celebrated by the chiefs and people of Anlo in the Volta region of Ghana. Some major Anlo towns include Anloga (capital), Keta, Kedzi, Vodza, Whuti, Srogboe, Tegbi, Dzita, Abor, Afiadenyigba ...

Religious

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 ...

Aboakyer festival The Aboakyer festival is a bushbuck hunting festival celebrated by the people of Winneba in the Central Region of Ghana. Overview The name ''Aboakyer'' translates as "hunting for game or animal" in the Fante dialect as spoken by the people of the ...

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

Eid al-Fitr , nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast , observedby = Muslims , type = Islamic , longtype = Islamic , significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan , dat ...

Eid al-Adha Eid al-Adha () is the second and the larger of the two main holidays celebrated in Islam (the other being Eid al-Fitr). It honours the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael) as an act of obedience to Allah's co ...

Others

* Agadevi ( Have, Afadzato South District, Volta Region) * Agbamevo Festival * Ahobaa * Akwambo festival * Akwantutenten(Worawora, Volta Region) *

Amu Festival Amu or the Rice Festival is an annual harvest festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of Vane which is the traditional capital of the Avatime people. It is located in the Ho, Ghana, Ho West District in the Volta Region of Ghana. It is usually ...

* Apoor * Asafotu-fiam (Ada in the Eastern region) *

Asafotufiam Festival The Asafotufiam Festival is celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of Ada, Ghana, Ada in the Dangme East District, Danube East of the Greater Accra Region, Greater Accra region of Ghana. The festival is celebrated in the first week of August every ye ...

Asafua Festival Asafua Festival is an annual festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of Sekondi in the Western Region of Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea ...

Asogli Yam Festival Asogli Yam Festival is an annual festival celebrated by the people of Asogli in the Ho Municipality located in the Volta Region of Ghana. It is celebrated in September annually to celebrate the cultivation of yam that was started by a hunter w ...

* Atu-Ho-Akye(Ejisu, Ashanti Region) * Ayimagonu Festival * Ayimagonu Festival *

Bakatue festival The Bakatue Festival is celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of Elmina in the Central Region of Ghana. The festival, established at least as far back as 1847, is celebrated on the first Tuesday in the month of July every year. The festival The D ...

*Beng Festival *

Chale Wote Street Art Festival The Chale Wote Street Art Festival also known as Chale Wote is an alternative platform that brings art, music, dance and performance out into the streets. The festival targets exchanges between scores of local and international artists and patr ...

Damba festival The Damba festival is celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of the Northern, Savanna, North East and Upper West Regions of Ghana. The name Damba in Dagbani, Damma in Mampruli and Jingbenti in Waali. The festival is celebrated in the Dagomb ...

* Danso Abaim & Ntoa Fukokuese Festivals(Techimentia & Nkoranza, in the Brong Ahafo Region) * Dipo Festival (Manya Krobo, Yilo Krobo, Eastern Region) *

Dzawuwu Festival Dzawuwu Festival is an annual traditional and thanksgiving festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of Agave Traditional Area in Dabala in the Volta Region of Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a ...

* Dzohayem (Osudoku, Greater Accra) * Edina Buronya Festival * Eiok (War Festival) *

Fetu Afahye The Fetu Afahye is a festival celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of Cape Coast in the Central region of Ghana. The festival is celebrated on the first Saturday in the month of September every year. The Fetu Afahye is celebrated annually by the O ...

* Fiok( Sandema by the Builsas) * Gbidukor Festival * Gbidukor Festival *

Glimetoto Festival Glimetoto Festival is an annual festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of Adaklu Traditional Area in the Volta Region of Ghana. It comprises Kpeve, Klikor, and Tsohor. It is usually celebrated in the month of November. Celebrations During ...

* Golob (Tengzung, Upper East Region) *

Gologo festival The Gologo festival, also known as the Golib festival, is celebrated in the month of March at the end of the dry season before the sewing of the early millet (Ansah, 1997; Allman & Parker, 2005). The Gologo Festival is among the major festiva ...

*Gwolgu * Jintigi(All Gonja Towns, Northern Region) * Kente Festival(Bonwire, Ashanti Region) *

Kobine Kobine is a traditional dance and festival unique to the people of Lawra area of north-western Ghana. They are also called the Dagaaba tribe. The dance and the festival named after it are celebrated in September and October to mark the end of a ...

* Kpini-Kyiu Festival(Wa & Tongu, in the Upper East Region) * Kpledjoo *

Kundum Festival The Kundum festival is celebrated by the Ahanta and Nzema people of the Western region of Ghana. It is celebrated to thank God for the abundance of food at the time of the harvest period of the area. History One of the earliest written records ...

* Kwafie *

Meet Me There Weekender Meet may refer to: People with the name * Janek Meet (born 1974), Estonian footballer * Meet Mukhi (born 2005), Indian child actor Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Meet'' (TV series), an early Australian television series which aired on ABC du ...

* Mmoanniko Festival * Nkyidwo(Essumeja) * Ntoa Fokuose * Nyidwoo *

Odambea Festival Odambea Festival is an annual festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of Nkusukum Traditional Area in Saltpond in the Central Region of Ghana. It is usually celebrated in the month of August. It is also celebrated by the people of Anomabo. " ...

Odwira festival The Odwira festival is celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of Fanteakwa District and Akuapem in the Eastern region of Ghana. The Odwira Festival is celebrated by the people of Akropong-Akuapim, Aburi, Larteh and Mamfi. This is celebrated annual ...

Paragbeile Festival Paragbeile Festival is an annual festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of Tumu in the Upper West Region of Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Gu ...

* Rice festival (Akpafu, in the Volta Region) * Sasadu Festival * Sometutuza (Keta) * Tenghana Festival(Wa & Tongu, in the Upper East Region) * Tongu Upper East Region * Wilaa Festival (Takpo, Upper West Region) *

Yaa Asantewaa Festival Yaa Asantewaa Festival is an annual festival celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of the Ejisu Traditional Area in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It is usually celebrated in the month of August. Another important Yaa Asantewaa festival was founded ...

Oti Region) * Ɔvazu Festival (Akposokubi) Oti Region, formally Volta/ Trans-Volta Togoland.

References

{{Ghana topics L Festivals