The Ngmayem Festival is an annual harvest festival celebrated by the chiefs and peoples of
Manya Krobo in the
Eastern Region Eastern Region or East Region may refer to:
* Eastern Region (Abu Dhabi): Al Ain
*Eastern Region, Ghana
*Eastern Region (Iceland)
*Eastern Region, Malta
*Eastern Region, Nepal
*Eastern Region, Nigeria
* Eastern Region, Serbia
*Eastern Region, Ugand ...
of
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
. The festival was established by Nene Azu Mate Kole in 1944
to replace the already existing festival called Yeliyem, which literary means "eating of yam". It is usually celebrated in the month of October in
Dodowa
Dodowa is a town located in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, it is the district capital of Dangme West district, now Shai Osudoku District
Shai Osudoku District is one of the twenty-nine districts in Greater Accra Region, Ghana
Gha ...
and also the Shai in the towns of
Somanya
Somanya is a town and the capital of Yilo Krobo Municipal District, a district in the Eastern Region of south Ghana. Somanya has a 2013 settlement
Settlement may refer to:
*Human settlement, a community where people live
*Settlement (structura ...
and
Odumase. The festival is celebrated for one week, mostly from the last two Sundays of the month of October.
The festival
The meaning of Ngmayem is "Eating the new
millet
Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae.
Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...
". The festival is a commemoration of plentiful harvest of
pearl millet
Pearl millet (''Cenchrus americanus'', commonly known as the synonym ''Pennisetum glaucum'') is the most widely grown type of millet. It has been grown in Africa and the Indian subcontinent since prehistoric times. The center of diversity, and ...
, which is called ''ngma'', and it is a period in which the people of Manya Krobo give thanks to their creator for protection, and the plentiful harvest.
[{{Cite web, url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/entertainment/Manya-Krobo-2019-Ngmayem-festival-launched-761665, title=Manya Krobo 2019 Ngmayem festival launched, website=www.ghanaweb.com, language=en, access-date=2019-10-18]
References
Festivals in Ghana
October observances