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Homowo is a harvest festival celebrated by the Ga people of Ghana in the Greater Accra Region. The festival starts in the month of August with the planting of crops (mainly maize and yam) before the rainy season starts. During the festival, they perform a dance called Kpanlogo. The Ga people celebrate Homowo in the remembrance of the famine that once happened in their history in precolonial Ghana.^[1]

Etymology & Origin

The word Homowo (Homo - hunger, wo - hoot) can mean "to hoot (or jeer) at hunger" in the Ga language.^[2] It is said that as the Ga people traveled to Ghana, they faced famine and other misfortunes along the way and upon settlement. The people inferred their mishaps to the displeasure of a god or deity. To restore balance in their society, the Ga people sacrificed livestock, prayed and poured libations to pacify the gods or deities, tradition that makes up Homowo today. ^[3]

Observance

Homowo is greatly celebrated in all the towns in the Ga state with celebrations climaxing in Gamashie. Prior to the actual celebration of the festival, Nmaadumo, a sowing rite of wheat takes place to mark the beginning of the Ga Calendar and the celebrations that occur within it. Nmaa or Millet is sown by the seven priests of the Gamashie people who perform Shibaa, the right of digging.^[4]The priests sow the wheat in a specific order with Dantu on Monday, Sakumo on Tuesday, Naa Korle and Naa Afieye on Friday, Gua on Saturday, Naa Dede on Sunday, and Nai on the following Tuesday. During wheat-sowing, a strict ban on noise called "Koninfemo" is set in place. This is to ensure that the crops grow without distractions. This lasts for four weeks and two days, and at the end of this period, Specific drum beatings called "Odadaa" are played to announce the end of the noise-making ban. ^[4]

Timeline/Dates

The native calendar of the Ga people is provided yearly by the Damte Fetish Priest of the Damte Dsanwe people.^[5] The Ga year begins either on the last Monday of April or the first or second Monday of May.^[6]This period is when the Nmaadumo takes place, and marks the beginning of the Homowo season which ends in September when the crops are harvested.

A week and five days after Odadaa is played, the Twin Yam festival begins, and five weeks and four days later, the celebrations of Homowo begin. Different cities/towns celebrate their Homowo with Lante Dzanwe beginning, followed by Tema six days later. Nungua, however, begins celebrating Homowo soon after Odadaa is played on the first Sunday in July. The general Homowo celebration of the Entire Gamashie (from Osu to Teshie) begins eight days after Tema, and ten days after, Nungo and Gboogbla begin their part of the festival. The last place to celebrate the festival is Awutu four days later. ^[7]

Soobii

Celebrators living in neighboring towns and villages are called Soobii (Thursday people) as they arrive on Thursday to join other Ga people in celebrating Homowo during the Homowo week. ^[8]

Cuisine

The meal is eaten with Palm Nut Soup and it is also sprinkled within the town. This is normally done by traditional leaders and family heads. All family heads sprinkle the "kpokpoi" in their family house. Celebration includes marching down roads and streets beating drums, chanting, merrymaking face painting, singing and traditional dances. On this day there is usually a lot of traffic and roads are usually blocked off to accommodate the festival. Even though it is a Ga tradition, many other ethnic groups are welcomed to also join in the celebration.^[9]^{[citation needed]}

Some of the towns that celebrate Homowo are La, Teshie, Teshie Nungua,^[10] Osu, Ga-Mashie, Tema, Prampram, and Ningo(Nungo).

Gallery

The Ga people celebrate Homowo Festival in the remembrance of the famine that once happened in their history in precolonial Ghana
Homowo Festival
Homowo Festival
Homowo Festival
Homowo Festival
Homowo Festival Palm nut Soup

References

^ "Homowo Festival". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
^ The Library of Congress's article on Homowo. Retrieved 08 September 07
^ Lokko, Sophia D. (1981). "Hunger-Hooting Festival in Ghana". The Drama Review: TDR. 25 (4): 43–50. doi:10.2307/1145377. ISSN 0012-5962.
^ ^a ^b Ammah, Charles (1968). Ga Homowo. Accra, Ghana: Advance Accra. pp. 11–13.
^ Quartey-Papafio, A. B. (1920). "The Gã Homowo Festival". Journal of the Royal African Society. 19 (74): 126–134. ISSN 0368-4016.
^ Opoku, A.A. (1970). Festivals of Ghana. Ghana: Ghana Publishing Company. p. 52.
^ Ammah, Charles (1968). Ga Homowo. Accra, Ghana: Advance Accra. pp. 11–13.
^ Ammah, Charles Nii (1982). Ga Homowo and other Ga-Adangme Festivals. Accra, Ghana: Sedco Publishing Limited. p. 8.
^ "Homowo Festival". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
^ "Homowo: Significance of holy corn, feeding gods of Ga state". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2021-05-16.

External links

Media related to Homowo at Wikimedia Commons
Promoting and celebrating Homowo with Obo Addy

[1] "Homowo Festival". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2020-01-11.

[roots-2] The Library of Congress's article on Homowo. Retrieved 08 September 07

[3] Lokko, Sophia D. (1981). "Hunger-Hooting Festival in Ghana". The Drama Review: TDR. 25 (4): 43–50. doi:10.2307/1145377. ISSN 0012-5962.

[:0-4] Ammah, Charles (1968). Ga Homowo. Accra, Ghana: Advance Accra. pp. 11–13.

[5] Quartey-Papafio, A. B. (1920). "The Gã Homowo Festival". Journal of the Royal African Society. 19 (74): 126–134. ISSN 0368-4016.

[6] Opoku, A.A. (1970). Festivals of Ghana. Ghana: Ghana Publishing Company. p. 52.

[:02-7] Ammah, Charles (1968). Ga Homowo. Accra, Ghana: Advance Accra. pp. 11–13.

[8] Ammah, Charles Nii (1982). Ga Homowo and other Ga-Adangme Festivals. Accra, Ghana: Sedco Publishing Limited. p. 8.

[9] "Homowo Festival". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2022-02-04.

[10] "Homowo: Significance of holy corn, feeding gods of Ga state". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2021-05-16.

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@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 The meal is eaten with [[Palm Nut Soup]] and it is also sprinkled within the town. This is normally done by traditional leaders and family heads. All family heads sprinkle the "kpokpoi" in their family house. Celebration includes marching down roads and streets beating drums, chanting, merrymaking  face painting, singing and traditional dances. On this day there is usually a lot of traffic and roads are usually blocked off to accommodate the festival. Even though it is a Ga tradition, many other ethnic groups are welcomed to also join in the celebration.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Homowo Festival|url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/tribes/homowo_festival.php|access-date=2022-02-04|website=www.ghanaweb.com}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
-Some of the towns that celebrate Homowo are La, [[Teshie]], [[Teshie-Nungua|Teshie Nungua]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Homowo: Significance of holy corn, feeding gods of Ga state|url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/homowo-significance-of-holy-corn-feeding-gods-of-ga-state.html|access-date=2021-05-16|website=Graphic Online|language=en-gb}}</ref> [[Osu, Accra|Osu]], [[Ga-Mashie]], [[Tema]], [[Prampram]], and [[Old Ningo|Ningo]].
+Some of the towns that celebrate Homowo are La, [[Teshie]], [[Teshie-Nungua|Teshie Nungua]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Homowo: Significance of holy corn, feeding gods of Ga state|url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/homowo-significance-of-holy-corn-feeding-gods-of-ga-state.html|access-date=2021-05-16|website=Graphic Online|language=en-gb}}</ref> [[Osu, Accra|Osu]], [[Ga-Mashie]], [[Tema]], [[Prampram]], and [[Old Ningo|Ningo]](Nungo).
 == Gallery ==