FIRE FESTIVAL IN NORTHERN GHANA🇬🇭 One of the most revered celebrations among the Dagombas, Gonja, Mamprusi, and Nanumba people that live in the northern region of Ghana is the Fire Festival, which is celebrated by the Dagbon people there. Known as "Bugum Chugu" in Dagbanli, the fire festival. Considering that it marks the start of the New Year, it is observed at the beginning of every lunar year(Muharram, 10th). Because the lunar calendar is the basis for all traditional Dagbon celebrations, it is unpredictable when the Fire Festival falls each year. Even though the celebration is thought to have Islamic overtones, Dagbon residents are all familiar with its original meaning. On this day in history, it is said, the prince at the time—the son of the king—went out to play with his pals and never returned. The monarch requested a search party to go in search of him at dusk because he thought he might have been killed or taken hostage by dwarfs. They carried cutlasses and weapons because it was dark and they lit grasses to light the road out of concern that a wild beast might capture the prince. The prince was eventually discovered dozing off in the middle of the jungle beneath a tree. The tree was thought to be home to an evil spirit that the dwarfs were using to keep the child away from his family and keep him from returning home. To drive the bad spirit away and humiliate the dwarfs, the search party carrying the youngster set the tree on fire with their burning thatch. Everyone in attendance typically arrives with a bundle of thatch, and the main celebration typically begins with traditional drumming. The chief, acting as the leader, lights his thatch, spins it seven times around his head while chanting for luck for the next year, and then the others light their thatches using the chief's fire. Moving from the chief palace via the main routes, participants stop at a certain tree that is thought to be an evil tree, toss their thatch, and burn that tree—though not completely. It mostly serves to drive away any evil spirits that might be residing in that tree. Many various kinds of charms are displayed in so many different ways that some men engage in risky antics to display their bravery and demonstrate the strength of their juju or charm. You might witness people swallowing cutlasses and knives, walking on flaming flames without getting burned, or slashing themselves with a cutlass without bleeding. A vacation to the North at this time would be a wonderful memory because it is typically a stunning sight to witness. Visitors who would miss the festival might make plans to attend the one the following year in order to take in all the events and observe the stunning culture of the Dagbon Kingdom. 📸:#WilliamHaul 📸:#DiscoverNorthEast #LearnaboutAfrica#