Yesterday we arrived at the Treasure Land Hotel in Kumasi around 4 PM. This was after our tour of a village on stilts. At this point we settled in a bit, unpacked, and had our evening meal. Sara and I then departed the hotel for our home-stay in the village of Effiduase. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the family, and then prepared for a night of New Year’s Eve activities. This involved taking a tour of the town, and meeting some of the host’s friends. Starting around 9 PM, we started our tour of three churches in the town.
The tradition on New Year’s Eve is to dress in your finest and proceed to church at around 8 PM. The first church that we visited was Methodist and the worship had already started. As we entered we were greeted by energetic music, dancing, and a large blue neon cross glowing radiantly behind the pulpit. I was getting excited. We were led to our seats, and immediately started taking in the music and atmosphere of this celebration. After the song, the sermon started which was eloquently given in the local language, and well received by the congregation. We proceeded to the next church at this point.
The next church was Presbyterian, and seemed to have a similar atmosphere as the last. We sat down, and heard energetic music, and part of the sermon. We then moved on to our final church, which was again Methodist. This one was slightly smaller than the others, and I felt more community here. There was music, dancing, as well as a sermon. As the clock approached midnight, the congregation bowed their heads and prayed, while the lights were turned out. This continued until shortly after midnight, when a bell was struck, the lights were turned on, and the prayers became more intense. The rest of the service continued until around 1:30, when some final singing and dancing concluded our evening. We were tired!!
This was one of the best New Year’s celebrations I have had the privilege to be part of! This seemed far removed from the traditional New Year’s celebration we have in the U.S. except for part about getting dressed up and having a night out. Following a rest at our host’s home, I awoke to the new year and had a tour of the house, and farm. There was a small plantain plantation, a chicken house, and some pens with grass cutters (gopher like rodent), and some goats. Then for breakfast, we were served a traditional New Year’s meal of Ampsei, which consists of boiled yam and palava sauce. It is common for households to go out on the morning of New Years day and get fresh chicken to eat and make Ampsei. I just might take this tradition to the U.S.! So we wish you Afishiapa (Happy New Year’s!).
Click Here to view a map of our travels today.
