Míexɔ wò nyuie ɖe volta nutoa me, teƒe si nànya nu geɖe tso alẽtsuwo ƒe amewo kple nyadzɔdzɔwo ŋu le
Festivals
Top Major Festivals to Attend in the volta region of the Ghana.
Hogbetsotso festival
The leaders and people of Anlo, in Ghana's Volta region, celebrate the Hogbetsotso festival—pronounce it Hogbechocho. Afiadenyigba, Konu, Alakple, Atsito, Atiavi, Deŋegodo, Atorkor, Tsiame, Whuti, Srogboe, Tegbi, Dzita, Abor, Afiadenyigba, Anyako, and Konu are a few of the prominent Anlo towns. Every year, the celebration is held in Anloga, the traditional and ceremonial capital of the Anlo state, on the first Saturday of November. The festival is named after the Ewe language, which means "coming from Hogbe (Notsie)" or "the festival of exodus." The festival was first observed approximately forty years ago.
History
A tribe on Ghana's eastern coast gives rise to a group of people known as the Anlo. They lived in the town of Notsie in modern-day Togo before moving to their current site. They are thought to have moved to Notsie from southern Sudan via Oyo, a region in Nigeria, Ketou, a region in Benin, and Adja Tado, a region in Togo. According to oral history, they had to make a hole in the mud wall surrounding their town to escape the oppressive authority of Togbe Agorkoli, also known as Agor Akorli. They accomplished this by giving the women instructions to empty all of their effluent into a single opening in the wall. The area becomes softer with time, enabling the residents of the town to breach the wall and flee. According to tradition, they went backward with their faces facing the town so that their footsteps appeared to be entering the town to elude capture and make a good getaway.
The festival
Traditionally, the event, which includes several ceremonies, is celebrated on the first Saturday in November. During the peace-making phase covered by these ceremonies, all conflicts are settled amicably. The belief that their forefathers lived in harmony with themselves during their exodus from Notsie and that it was this quality that made their sojourn successful is thought to be the cause of this customary period of peacemaking. Additionally, libations are poured during a purification ceremony for the ceremonial stools, which the Ewe believe house the ancestral spirits. The communities are then thoroughly cleaned, with all of the trash burned and the villages swept. This cleansing ritual begins at the Volta River and concludes in the Mono after a few days. Traditionally, the event, which includes several ceremonies, is celebrated on the first Saturday in November. During the peace-making phase covered by these ceremonies, all conflicts are settled amicably. The belief that their forefathers lived in harmony with themselves during their exodus from Notsie and that it was this quality that made their sojourn successful is thought to be the cause of this customary period of peacemaking. Additionally, libations are poured during a purification ceremony for the ceremonial stools, which the Ewe believe house the ancestral spirits. The communities are then thoroughly cleaned, with all of the trash burned and the villages swept. This cleansing ritual begins at the Volta River and concludes in the Mono after a few days.
Celebrations
2019
Several dignitaries, including two former presidents of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings and John Dramani Mahama, attended the 2019 Hogbetsotso festival. "Uniting Anlo through its value for the benefit of its citizens and the nation at large" was the theme of the 2019 festival.
2022
The festival in 2022 commemorated the event's 60th anniversary. It had as its subject matter "60 years of Anlo Hogbestosto Za: Uniting for development, Sustaining our Unique Cultural Commonwealth for Future Generations." Notable people attended the grand durbar at Hogbe Park in Anloga, including Kwahumanhene Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II, Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and Ga Mantse King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II.
The Agbadza
The Agbadza, a traditional dance of the Anlo people, was once called atrikpui and was originally a war dance imitating birds in flight. It is performed with great vigor during the Hogbetsotso festival's grand durbar. They do it to show their gods and ancestors how happy they are. Agbadza can be done anywhere, including naming ceremonies, funerals, and parties. The Agbadza dance is still performed today by people of all tribes. The borborbor dance is another one of the Ewe dances.
The Igbo people celebrate the New Yam Festival every year in early August, marking the end of the rainy season. It is also known as Orureshi in Idoma, or Iwa ji, Iri ji, Ike ji, or Otute depending on the dialect.
The "new-yam eating" Iri ji festival is observed throughout West Africa, particularly in Nigeria and Ghana, as well as other African nations. It represents the end of a harvest and the start of a new work cycle. The festival serves as a cultural link between the various Igbo communities, which are primarily agrarian and yam-dependent.
Igbo tradition
One of the first crops planted at the start of the planting season is yams. Early crops like maize, cocoyams, and pumpkins are harvested and consumed without much fanfare between April and August. As a result, the New Yam Festival is a celebration that highlights the importance of yam in Igbo social and cultural life. On the eve of the New Yam Festival, all old yams—those from the previous year's crop—must be eaten or thrown away in some Igbo communities. The festival represents the abundance of the produce, so the feast the following day only consists of yam dishes.
Even though the approaches and styles may vary from one community to the next, the festival's fundamental elements remain unaltered. The festivities may last for a week or longer in many locations, but they only last for a single day in some communities. The Igwe (King), or the oldest man, performs rites during these celebrations, and Igbo men, women, and their children dance traditional dances. A variety of entertainments and ceremonies are typically included in these events. Igbo cultural events, such as fashion parades, masquerade dances, and contemporary performances, are showcased during the festival.
Ịwa-ji ceremony
The yams are typically given to the gods and ancestors at the start of the celebration before being distributed to the villagers. The king another distinguished titleholder, or the oldest man in the community, performs the ritual. In addition, this man offers the yams to god, other gods, and his ancestors as a token of appreciation to the Almighty for his protection and generosity in guiding them through times of famine to a time of abundant harvest. They eat the first yam after offering a prayer of thanksgiving to their god, believing that this gives them the right to act as a middleman between their communities and the local gods. The purpose of the rituals is to show gratitude. of the people to the gods for enabling the harvest, and they are largely adhered to despite more contemporary modifications brought about by the influence of Christianity in the region. The three facets of the Igbo worldview—pragmatic, religious, and appreciative—are thus explained by this.
This day represents the joy that follows the harvest season when abundance is shared with loved ones and friends. The eating of new yam is celebrated with a range of events. Some attendees refer to the colorful festival—which features folk dances, masquerades, parades, and parties—as "art." It is a spectacle of joy, gratitude, and community display.
Typically, the festival's primary ritual involves roasting yams and serving them with palm oil (mmanụ nri). Yi ji has some similarities to the Asian Mid-Autumn Festival as well, since both celebrations are essentially community harvest festivals and are based on lunar cycles.
This occasion holds great significance in the global Igbo community's calendar.
A prime example of the people's religious belief in the all-powerful deity is the yam harvest and the New Yam festival, which honors the land's gods. The big "Iri Ji Ohu" festival is being prepared for the arrival of the new moon in August, though the exact date and method of preparation varies from community to community.
An extremely captivating artistic event is the New Yam Festival. The vibrant celebration is a visual display of harmony, dancing, joy, and feasting, a yearly event for the community to celebrate the conclusion of the growing season and to show their appreciation to everyone who helped them harvest an abundant crop.
Kpando is a town and capital of Kpando Municipal District in the northern Volta Region of Ghana. It is near the northeastern arm of Lake Volta and the Togo border. Kpando is the fifty-fourth most populous place in Ghana, in terms of population, with a population of 28,334 people. Kpando is connected by ferry and road to Gbefi, Hohoe, Ho, and Dambai. It is about a 4-hour journey from Accra. The Kpando Municipality is a district in the Volta Region and one of the oldest administrative districts in Ghana.
History
The peoples of Kpando, also called the Akpini people are Ewes believed to have been a part of the third wave of migrations from Notsie, which was located in present-day Togo and or the Benin Area, while escaping from the rule of the tyrant Togbe Agorkoli about 450 years ago.
Chieftaincy disputes were the reason behind the festival's cancellation, according to Mrs. Della Sowah, the local member of parliament. According to Mrs. Sowah, the late General Kutu Acheampong was present as the Special Guest of Honor during the festival's final celebration in 1972. On March 6, 2022, following the triumphant installation of a new Paramount Chief for the Kpando Traditional Area, she announced this.
People of Kpando to celebrate Danyiba Festival
Mrs. Sowah shed more light on the festivities by stating that they have an ancestor who traveled an ancestral route from Nortse in modern-day Togo to Kpando.
The festival, she continued, used to be observed every two years as a way to honor their ancestors and give thanks to God for allowing them to cross the Dayi River safely at a time when it had overflowed its banks.
"History explains that the priests among them offered prayers and sacrifices at the time when the Dayi had overflowed its banks. They managed to cross miraculously," she said.
She continued, "Every division has a key role to play during the festival, hence the disunity made it impossible for the festival to be held." Since the chieftaincy "The dispute has been settled, and Dayi Baakaaka will soon have her path paved," she continued.
She was hoping that would happen in the next two years.
New chief
About the swearing-in of a new Paramount Chief, Mrs. Sowah expressed gratitude to God for what she called an enormous triumph.
She also thanked everyone for their support, including the chiefs, Queenmothers, and elders of Kpando.
She has faith that Kpando's established leaders will provide the new Paramount Chief with the direction, advice, and assistance he needs to govern with effectiveness.
"I would like to express my sincere congratulations to Okpekpewoekpe Togbiui Dagadu IX for taking on this significant responsibility of leading Kpando traditionally," Mrs. Sowah said.
"Kpando is a stunningly intricate terrain. And to carry that kind of load in Kpando, one needs a young, strong head like yours," she said.
The Keta-Sometutuza or Keta-Sometutu Festival
is a yearly celebration observed by the Agbozume chiefs and people in Ghana's Volta Region's Ketu South District. Typically, it is observed two weeks following the Hogbetsotso festival. The Somey people of Agbozume, Denu, and the nearby communities celebrate it to remember their migration from Keta in 1792–1794 following the Keta–Anloga War. Usually, the third Saturday in November is when it is celebrated.
Celebrations
During the festival, there are pomp and circumstance performances. A grand durbar of chiefs and their subjects also takes place. Traditional rituals are performed in Keta and at Agbozume's main durbar to kick off the festival. The chiefs honor their paramount chief and swear allegiance to him once more. In addition, a display of various Ewe Kente varieties and other traditional and woven textiles is available during the festival.
Significance
It is observed to commemorate their migration from their ancestral home of Keta to their current location.
Under the direction of the Avenor Traditional Council and under the patronage of Torgbui Dorglo Anuma VI, the paramount chief and president of the Avenor Traditional Council, along with the support of the Akatsi South and Noth district assemblies, Avenor Tutudoza is a rebranded and revitalized festival observed by the Chiefs and people of Avenor land in the Volta Region of Ghana.
The theme for the celebration.
“Leveraging our Heritage to Promote Development, Unity and Peace in Avenor”
The celebration is essentially an invitation to all to come discover what Avenor is made of and to help shape a better Avenor.
It serves as an avenue for showcasing and promoting all of Avenor's assets and provides a venue for branding and marketing Avenor land in an effort to draw tourists and investors, increase economic activity, and instill a strong sense of unity and pride among the community's residents.
Location
Their traditional area is located in the southeastern part of the Volta Region of Ghana. The Avenor has Avenorpeme as their traditional seat and Akatsi as the administrative capital. Administratively, the people of Avenor can be found in two districts namely the Akatsi South District which is Avenorland, and the Akatsi North District which the Avenors share with their neighbours to the north, the Aves. The traditional area is bordered to the south by the Anlo Ewe (Keta Municipal District) on the east by the Somes (Ketu District), on the west by the Tongus and Agaves (North and South Tongus districts), and North by the Aves (Akatsi North district)
Amu or the Rice Festival
is an annual harvest festival observed by the leaders and populace of Vane, the Avatime people's traditional capital. It is situated in Ghana's Volta Region's Ho West District. Usually, the final week of November or December is when it is celebrated. Some assert that it's observed in September
Celebrations
There is drumming, dancing, and singing during the festival.
Significance
As its name suggests, the festival is held during the brown rice harvest. The people said they migrated from the Western region's Ahanta areas and fought the native people to take the land they currently occupy.
Dzawuwu Festival
is a customary celebration of gratitude held annually by the chiefs and populace of Dabala's Agave Traditional Area in Ghana's Volta Region? Typically, February is the month when it is observed.
Celebrations
Special food portions are sprinkled to the people's gods for protection during the festival. The populace pours out libations and swears allegiance once more to their rulers.
Significance
It is observed to pay tribute to the Agaves' bravery in fighting and winning many battles in the past. It's time to pay tribute to the deceased.
The Gbidukor Festival
is a yearly celebration observed by the Gbi people and chiefs in Ghana's Volta Region? Usually, November is the month when it is celebrated. It is said that Hohoe and Peki alternate hosting the festival.
Celebrations
There's pageantry and pomp at the festival. There is singing and drumming as the chiefs are carried in palanquins. Initiating new development projects is another.
Significance
The purpose of the celebration is to honor the Gbi-Ewes' ancestors' exploits. Additionally, it signifies the time of family reunions and the draw of people from near and far.