After a 5 hour VIP bus ride from Accra up to Kumasi, we started asking questions and found out se had accidentally timed our northward trip to coincide with the Akwasidae!
The Akasidae is a celebration of the ancestors held every six weeks by the Asantehene (King of the Ashante people). He enters the courtyard of the Manhyia Palace in the royal palanquin protected by the royal umbrellas and there he meets his subjects and the lesser chiefs. The Golden Stool (the traditional throne of the Ashante people) is displayed at the palace grounds and honor is paid as the people have the liberty to present themselves and their gifts. Drums, horn, dancing and singing are also a big part of the celebration!
We were told to be there by 10 am to catch all of the festivities. Well, that arrival was about 3 hours before most of the crowd started arriving. Gotta get used to how time means different things in different places! But when people did begin arriving - tourists and Ashanti people and the lesser chiefs each with their own entourage, things got lively. The sounds and beautiful colors, the dancing and singing, the traditions as
