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 Asa ...

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

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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

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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 t ...

. 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.

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

Observance

Traditions

Rituals

See also

References

Bibliography