Info For You Lot The Dandy Akwasidae Festival Of The Asante People

To every African, festivals concur a special house inward everyday life. They are occasions for re-union, remembrance in addition to merry-making. Festivals are also occasions of mixed feelings every bit the dead are remembered through organized rituals in addition to mourning. The rituals are performed past times social groups nether clan heads who are responsible to contact the dead to invoke their blessings for the people.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene (King of the Ashantis) sitting inward dry reason during Akwasidae festival of the Asante people, Kumasi, Ghana. Courtesy Anthony Pappone

Among the Akans, particularly the Asantes in addition to its allied groups similar Denkyira, Akuapim, Akyem, Kwahu in addition to others Akwasidae rituals in addition to events are held every half dozen weeks, honouring the ancestors in addition to inward the Ashanti share the Ashanti king.

Akwasidae celebration at Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana, Courtesy imknowmadic2

All Asantes (Ashantis) as good every bit the Ashanti diaspora participate inward this cultural festival. The Akwasidae Festival is side past times side alone inward importance to the National Day celebrations. Akwasidae, according to the Ashanti cultural archive records is an ornate ceremony, commemorating the appointment that the Ashanti Golden Stool was magically brought downwardly from heaven.

  Asante daughter inward her Kente stuff dancing at Akwasidae festival at USA

 The festival thence features a golden stool amongst the fundamental characteristic of attention, the Ashanti King, who is carried on a palanquin through the procession of Ashanti people who produce got come upwards to pay homage to him. H5N1 see to Kumasi during an Akwasidae celebration is an invitation for spectacle. H5N1 celebration which parades colourful canopies in addition to umbrellas amongst fontonfrom, kete in addition to mpintsin drummers, dancers, horn blowers in addition to singers who perform inward accolade of their ancestral spirits.

Asante principal sitting inward dry reason during Akwasidae festival inward Kumasi, Ghana. Courtesy Anthony Pappone

Many produce got heard of in addition to witnessed Akwasidae festival of the Akans, but why the festival is called ‘Adae’ is petty known to them. In Akan “adae” agency balance place, so to bother you lot a bit, Akwadae is observed with a see past times the principal in addition to some of his elders to the stool-house (Royal Mausoleum) where past times chiefs had been buried to invoke their blessings for the people.
During such moments, a sheep is slaughtered in addition to some of the blood sprinkled on the stools, which is accompanied past times pouring libation amidst drumming. Akwasidae takes house inward a 40-day bicycle in addition to inward some years it is observed 8 times in addition to inward others nine times.

                                King of the Asantes

Akan Calendar
The Akan annual calendar is divided into nine parts, each lasting but about half dozen weeks but varying betwixt 40–42 days inward a period; the celebration of this menses is called the Adae Festival.

The Adae Festival has 2 celebration days: the Akwasidae Festival is celebrated on the terminal Lord's Day of the period, piece the Awukudae Festival is celebrated on a Midweek within the period. The Fri preceding 10 days to the Akwasidae is called the Fofie (meaning a ritual Friday). As the festival is ever held on Sundays (Twi inward Kwasidae), its recurrence could live after forty or 42 days inward accordance with the official Calendar of Ashanti. During the in conclusion Akwasidae of the year, which coincides with the Adae Kese Festival, special attending is given to brand nutrient offerings in addition to donations for helping people. The festivals of Adae are non interchangeable every bit they were fixed from ancient times

                             Late Asantehene Otumfuo Opoku Ware II at Akwasidae festival

Celebration
To celebrate the Akwasidae, elderly women versed inward traditional songs, would instruct to the palace continue, towards the eventide of Sabbatum called Memenedae Dapaa, to sing, memorial songs until belatedly inward the night.

H5N1 gathering called Akom occurs, hither drums are beaten in addition to horns sounded to welcome the festival amidst dancing in addition to merry making. In the early on hours of the morn the drums are resumed to rouse the dead kings (nananom/nsamnafo ahenfo) in addition to their elders (nsamanfo) from their slumber to partake inward the festival.

Between 6 a.m. in addition to seven a.m., the queen woman parent with some elders would instruct to the palace of the paramount principal to greet in addition to wishing him well.
The paramount principal dressed inward his mourning costume would ride inward a palanquin to the mausoleum. With the exception of the paramount principal in addition to the Banmuhene, no 1 is allowed to go into wearing sandals. What actually happens within the mausoleum?

In there, the stools are placed on a raised dais in addition to the paramount chief, divisional chiefs in addition to elders inward social club of precedence, instruct inward in addition to pay homage to the dead kings. Food inward the shape of mashed yam (eto) which has been prepared inward the mausoleum is offered together with rigid drinks to the dead kings.
H5N1 sheep is slaughtered in addition to the blood which is drained into a bowl used to smear the stools with pieces of meat including the lungs placed on the stools piece the fatty is spread over the centre back upwards of the stools.

The belief is that the blood revitalizes the stools in addition to the ancestral spirits, in addition to the lungs; a symbol of breath of life serves the go of giving novel life to the stools. Concluding the ceremony inward the mausoleum the paramount principal orders drinks to live served to all introduce who afterward depart leaving the stools in addition to the ancestors to consume in addition to drinkable what had been served them.
After the rituals inward the morning, a the world durbar is held at the fore courtroom of the Manhyia Palace where the Asantehene sits inward dry reason for his people to pay him homage.
As early on every bit seven a.m. preparations for the resultant had begun in addition to past times 10 a.m. the forecourt is filled to capacity past times traditional rulers in addition to the full general public.

The arrival of the Asantehene at the durbar grounds is heralded past times a retinue of courtiers led past times a human carrying a brasspan containing talisman in addition to herbs believed to crusade away evil spirits.
Others comport the traditional sandals of silvery in addition to gilt keys (the Nsafoahene).

The key, inward folklore, signifies that when the Asantehene is out of the palace all doors are shut.
The Asantehene emerges belongings a traditional sword inward 1 manus in addition to a whisk inward some other in addition to dances to traditional music in addition to steps out of the palanquin.
As the procession passes, he bows gently to the chiefs in addition to other subjects to admit their presence.

During Akwasidae, traditional rulers commonly article of apparel mourning clothes (Kuntunkuni) but with this yr coinciding with the birthday of the occupant of the golden stool, they wore kente amidst others including Otumfuo himself who was dressed inward a beautiful kente to gibe the occasion.
The gilt ornaments he wore that solar daytime made it hard for him at times to elevator his hand.
Only the Bantamahene, Baffour Asare Owusu Amankwatia V, was dressed inward a traditional mourning cloth. This, according to tradition followed the revolt in addition to subsequent capture of the Bantamahene during the days of King Osei Tutu.

As he was freed he became the best ally of Osei Tutu in addition to since in addition to so whatever occupant of the Bantama stool has to live inward perpetual mourning.
Sitting inward state, he combined the celebration of the Akwasidae in addition to his birthday with pomp in addition to pageantry characterized with traditional drumming in addition to dancing which showcased the rich civilisation of Ashanti.



Role of Asante chiefs
In the Ashanti Region chiefs are highly visible in addition to organized strongly hierarchically, from the Asantehene, manly someone monarch of Asante, at the top through the paramount principal (omanhene), divisional principal (ohene) in addition to local hamlet principal (odikro) to the clan or household unit of measurement caput (abusua panin).

In the literature, the someone in addition to component of the principal are real much connected to traditional religious belief (Busia 1951; Hagan 2003; Rattray 1969; Ray 2003b). Busia wrote inward 1951 that ancestor-worship was the footing of the chief’s authorization every bit good every bit the sanction for morality inward the community. The belief that the ancestors were the custodians of the laws in addition to customs in addition to that they punished those who infringed them with sickness or misfortune acted every bit a banking concern check on commoners in addition to chiefs alike
(Busia 1951: 24, 136; Fortes 1962: 78. Cf Nukunya 1992: 128).

According to Rattray, the footing of the honour accorded to the principal is non alone that the principal derives his ability from the people, but also that the stools, skins in addition to other symbols of business office produce got a spiritual significance –the principal deriving his ability from the ancestors in addition to mediating betwixt the people in addition to the ancestors (Rattray 2003b: 7).






Ashanti principal during the Akwasidae the keen celebration of the Ashanti inward Kumasi.













































































Photosource:Anthony Pappone

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