The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, on Sunday, January 7, celebrated the first Akwasidae of 2024, a year in which he will be marking the Silver Jubilee of his enthronement.
Held at the Manhyia Palace, the celebration brought together chiefs and people of Asanteman as well as well-wishers from other parts of the world.
Among them were government officials, politicians, royals from the Hausa State of Kano in Nigeria, and tourists from various parts of the world.
In all his glamour, Otumfuo majestically rode in a palanquin to the durbar grounds where he sat in state to receive homage from the gathering.
The Akwasidae Festival (alternate, Akwasiadae) is celebrated by the Ashanti people and chiefs in Ashanti, as well as the Ashanti diaspora. The festival is celebrated on a Sunday, once every six weeks.
The Akan annual calendar is divided into nine months which lasts approximately six weeks but vary between 40 and 42 days in a period; the celebration of this period is called the Adae Festival.
The Adae Festival has two celebration days: the Akwasidae Festival is celebrated on the final Sunday of the period, while the Awukudae Festival is celebrated on a Wednesday within the period. The Friday preceding 10 days to the Akwasidae is called the Fofie (meaning a ritual Friday).
As the festival is always held on Sundays (Twi in Kwasidae), its recurrence could be after 40 or 42 days in accordance with the official Calendar of Ashanti.
The festivals of Adae are not interchangeable as they were fixed from ancient times.
The rites on this day relate to honouring personal and community ancestors. A gathering called Akom occurs in which drumming, dancing, and singing are a normal celebration to honour Abosom (lesser gods in the Akan tradition) and Nsamanfo (spiritually cultivated ancestors).
Food offerings include special items such as eto (mashed African yam), garnished with hard-boiled eggs. Every Ashanti celebrates this festival.
On this day, the Asantehene (King of Ashante) meets his subjects and subordinate chiefs in the courtyard of the Manhyia Palace.
The Golden Stool (throne) is displayed at the palace grounds in the presence of the king, and people visit in large numbers, singing, and dancing.
The king holds his durbar on the occasion of the festival, and people have the liberty to shake hands with him.
Before holding the durbar, the king goes in a procession in a palanquin decorated with gold jewelry. He also witnesses a colourful parade, from his palace grounds at Kumasi. Participants of the parade include drum beaters, folk dancers, horn-blowers, and singers.
Source: dailygraphic / Wikipedia
