One of the most colourful festivals in Ghana,
Homowo (which means ‘’hooting at hunger’’) is celebrated by the Ga tribe in the
Greater Accra
Region. It is notable for the sprinkling of the festival dish called
"Kpokpoi" to the gods and ancestors for spiritual protection. A
procession of twins through the principal streets, traditional drumming and
dancing and general merry-making usually epitomizes the enthusiasm and great
entertainment that comes with this historic festival. About a month to it’s
celebration, there is a ban on noise making in the whole region.
Strict measures are usually put in place to enforce this ban and strenuous
punishments are implemented to offenders. However, the festival is noted also
for very mind-blowing elements and practices. Let’s see a few that you may not
have known about.
1. Celebrated to hoot at hunger - By now, as the translation from the native Ga language to
English will showcase, Homowo means ‘’Hooting at hunger’’ but translated
sometimes as ‘’Shame to hunger’’. It is believed that, when the Ga’s migrated
to their current place of settlement, they were greeted by grave famine for a
period until eventually there was a bumper harvest of corn. The festival
therefore makes a mockery of the hunger which their ancestors suffered by
sprinkling food on the ground for the gods and ancestors of the land.
2. Thirty-day ban on drumming is imposed on the land by the
priests - The festival is also preceded by a one month ban
on noise making. No form of noise whether by drums, singing, PA systems or any
form of sound output is allowed. The punishments to offenders often include a
variety of well-structured disciplinary tools such as fines, confiscation of
items etc. The ban is believed to give the gods and ancestors the peace of mind
to prepare for the festival ahead and offer protection to the indigens.
3. The festival is highlighted at varying times by different
quarters of the Ga tribe - Just like many
other festivals in Ghana, the
festival is celebrated by different facets of the tribe. In the case of the Ga
Tribe, a systematic time table has been drawn where the various suburbs take
time to celebrate one after the other before the final grand celebration by the
entire tribe. The beauty here is how every tribe joins in the celebration of
another and each tribe has a its own way of celebrating.
4. Fourth Day Mystery - No farming activity takes place on this day, and in some
parts of the country no
farmer is allowed by Native Law and Custom even to scratch the surface of the
land. The preparation for the general Harvest Festival Custom and Harvest for
the whole tribe. The mystery here has been discussed far and wide throughout
the years with the question, why? Generally locals believe it is the day when
the gods and ancestors go out to harvest their own produce and prepare their
meals and hence it will be disrespectful for locals to also do same or ‘’dine
with the gods’’.
5. No one is allowed to
demand a debt till after the Homowo or Harvest Festival - Sometimes, many people disagree with this and most end up
unhappy about this. However, it is Ga custom for
citizens not t demand a debt till after the festival. Legend has no reason for
this but it is believed to allow debtors ample time to recover from expenses
from the festival to be able to pay back debts.
Credit : JumiaTravel
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