National Commission on Culture - Ghana - Central Region

Central Region

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08/04/2006

Below is a table for the festival celebration of the people from the Central Region

No.	Name of festival rite or event	Location/Place	Persons involved	Physical description	Purpose of the festival rite or event in the community	Dependant varaibles
1	Odum-Kwaa Festival	Abura Dunkwa – Central Region	Chiefs and people of Abura Dunkwa Traditional Area.	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off during the Easter Holidays yearly.	The festival promotes the rich culture of the people. It endures unity.	The festival re-enacts the history of the people. Nana Dunkwa (Odum Tree) is believed to have protected the people during wars.
2	Mennya Me Ho Festival	New Ebu – Central Region	Chiefs and people of New New Ebu Traditional Area.	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off in the 3rd week November every year	The festival promotes the rich culture of the people. It ensures unity.	The festival re-enacts the history of the people. The festival is believed to invoke fertility into barren women.
3	Kae Arko Festival	Asebu – Central Region	Chiefs and people of Asebu Traditional Area.	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off in the 1st Week of November yearly.	The festival promotes the rich culture and history of the people. It enables unity.	The festival is an affirmation of the rich history of the people. Arko the Warrior retrieved lands encroached upon and since than this festival has been to honour him.
4	Odambia Festival	Saltpond – Central Region	Chiefs and people of Nkusukum Traditional Area.	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off in August yearly.	The festival commemorates successful habitation of the land bequeathed into them by the ancestors.	The festival boosts trading in the Community.
5	Ayerye Festival	Saltpong – Central Region	Chiefs and people of Nkusukum Traditional Area at Saltpond Namkesido (Lower Saltpond).	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off in November every year.	The festival brings the people together for development.	The festival facilities recognition and respect for Elders of the society.
6	Odwira Festival	Denkyira – Central Region	Chiefs and people of Denkyira Traditional Area.	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off in November yearly.	The festival is a period for re-union and homecoming.	Time to feed the ancestral stools and gods, remember dead ancestors and rejoice afterwards.
7	Aboakyere Festival	Winneba – Central Region	Chiefs and people of Effutu Traditional Area.	A dear hunt festival of chiefs and people which comes off in the 1st Week of May every year.	The festival is an enactment of the bravery and sagacity of the people. Warrior groups hunt for a live deer to be sacrificed to the gods.	Feeding of the Chief or Principal god Apa Sekum.
8	Akomase Festival	Senya Beraku – Central Region	Chiefs and people of Senya Bereku Traditional Areas.	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off from last Friday of August to the first Wednesday of September every year.	This is an agricultural festival which celebrates the bountiful blessings from the gods and ancestors culminating into good yields.	The festival signifies the end of the farming season and ushers in the time to harvest fish and farm produce.
9	Awubia Festival	Awutu Bereku – Central Region	Chiefs and people of Awutu Bereku Traditional Areas.	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off from the Last Week of August to the 1st Week of September annually.	The festival ensures heathly agricultural competition amongst the people. It unites the people.	The festival signifies the end of the forming season and the harvest period of agricultural produce.
10	Akwambo Festival	Gomoa and Agona District (all towns) – Central Region	Chiefs and people of Gomoa and Agona Districts.	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off between August and November every year.	The festival serves an opportune time to plan development projects. Ancestral spirits are venerated.	The people commune with the ancestors. They seek protection and prosperity from the gods. The festival is used to clear paths; to do major cleaning in the communities. Outstanding issues are the rushed.
11	Ahoba Festival	Gomoa and Bebianiha – Central Region	Chiefs and people of Gomoa and Nyaakrom Traditional Areas.	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off in the 2nd week of May every year.	The festival brings the people together to plan development projects for the area.	The festival is done in remembrance of Osafo Ahor who gave up himself to be sacrificed to stop an epidemic
12	Yam Festival	Agona District (all towns) – Central Region	Chiefs and people of Agona District.	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off between August and November every year.	The festival unifies the people.	The festival purifies the stools of the chiefs (i.e. Eguado To). Ancestral spirits are invoked.
13	Gomoa Two Weeks Festival	Gomoa – Central Region	Chiefs and people of Gomoa Traditional Areas.	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off (2) Two Weeks after Christmas.	The festival promotes unity and welfare of the existing generation.	The festival is celebrated to remember the dead and meet old folks.
14	Tutu Afahye	Nyankomasi ahenkro, Assin Manso and Assin Fosu – Central Region	Chiefs and people of Atadansu, Apimanim I and Effutuakwa Traditional Areas.	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off in the 2nd Week of December every year.	The festival is an enactment of their history of migration. It unites the people.	The chief god Bosomfo amosi Kwagyen of the Atadansu people, and chief god Bonna of the Effutuakwa people helped them to migrate from Ashanti to Assim where they are now. The festival honours these gods.
15	Denkyiaa Festival	Assim Aadoe – Central Region	Chiefs and people of Apimanim II Traditional Areas.	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off in the last Week of the July every year	The festival unites the people for developments in the area.	The significant of the festival is to promote cultural activities in the area.
16	Fetu Afahye	Cape Coast –Central Region	Chiefs and people of Oguaa Traditional Areas.	A festival of chiefs and people which comes off on the first Saturday of September every year.	The festival depicts a fusion of Fante and European cultures. It unites the people.	Mashed Yam is offered to the gods of the Fetu or Effutu land for bountiful harvests.
17	PANAFEST	Cape Coast, Accra and Elmina –Central Region	PANAFEST FOUNDATION	It is a Pan African Historical and Theatre festival which comes off in either July or August bi – annually.	It is a festival which unites Africans and African descendants in the Diaspora and other ports of America and Europe.	Instituted by Ghana government based on a proposal submitted by Dr. (Mrs) Efua Sutherland on a Historical Drama Festival in Cape Coast.
18	Emancipation Day Celebrations	Cape Coast and Assin Manso –Central Region	Chiefs and people of Ghana and Africans in the Diaspora.	It is a festival of arts and culture which serves as a homecoming event for Africans living elsewhere as a assault of Slave Trade.	The festival unites Africans and Africans in the Diaspora by tracing ancestral roots and linkages.	The festival revisits the political and socio – cultural effects slavery had on the African continent.