Rites in Connection with Passage of Life in African Traditions

Explore the profound significance of rites of passage in African traditions, from birth to death. This culturally rich blog post delves into ceremonial practices that mark key life transitions, revealing their spiritual, communal, and educational roles across diverse African societies.

 There are many stages that a man has to pass in life. These are periods when people are metaphysically and sociologically made new beings with new social roles: children become adults, men and women are made husbands and wives and the deceased are made ancestors. The rituals associated with each one of them are called rites of passage. Each of these stages is distinctive and is observed in African communities with religious ceremonies. They include birth rites, puberty rites, marriage rites and funeral rites. 

Since these rites differ from one ethnic group to another, we would examine the rites among the Ashanti people in Ghana.

Passage of Life for the Ashanti

In Ghana, a pregnant Ashanti woman faces numerous restrictions, including staying indoors for the first three months, covering her head and breasts when necessary, and not being informed about her pregnancy. She must avoid any divinity abuse, sighting blood, or encountering anything considered ugly, as these could lead to miscarriage or abnormality in the child. At eight months, she moves to her parent’s house until delivery, which involves female attendants. The newborn receives no special attention for the first eight days, as the child’s fate is uncertain, and a name is given based on the day of birth, with boys named Kofi if born on Friday and Kwame if born on Saturday.

Puberty

An Ashanti girl marks her puberty rite at the first sign of her menstruation. She informs her mother as soon as she sees her menses for the first time. The mother informs the community. She returns home to pour libation to Nyame (god) and the ancestors. The girls pubic and armpit hair are shaved. This symbolizes a new baby in adulthood. A ceremony is performed. Everybody is given enough to eat and to drink. Then the girl is ripe for marriage.

Marriage

When an Ashanti man decides to take a girl as wife, he presents gift to his parent-in-law. It could be clearing the coca farm. This is done to curry the favour of the girl’s parents. After the parents’ agreement, the ancestors seal the marriage. The girl is then allowed to follow her husband home.