Adae Kese Festival
Celebration by the Ashantis of Ghana / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Adae Kese Festival?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Adae Kese Festival ("big resting place") is an important albeit rare celebration among the Ashantis in Ghana. There are two main periods for this celebration: one is Awukudae, and the other is Akwasidae.[1][2][3] It glorifies the achievements of the Asante kingdom.[4][5] It was first celebrated to the achievement of statehood of the people, after the war that the Ashantis had their independence, in the Battle of Feyiase which they fought against the people of Denkyira.[1] It is also the occasion when the purification ceremony of Odwira is performed at the burial shrines of ancestral spirits. Generally, this coincides with the harvest season of yam and hence the ritual was also called the "Yam custom" by Europeans.[6] It is celebrated every two weeks by the people in accordance with the calendar of the Akans based on the cycle of forty-two days and nine months in their calendar.[1] The festival is mostly held to climax celebrations of specific achievements and milestones of the people of the Ashanti kingdom.[1] The festival is a day of rest so it is forbidden to work on that day.[3]