How Is Easter Celebrated in Ghana?

Easter is celebrated across the board in Ghana. It is celebrated by both Christians and non-Christians alike, but each group has its own interpretation and activities to mark the occasion.
For Christians, the celebration starts well before Palm Sunday, but Palm Sunday is the largest, most widely known event before Easter. Palm Sunday marks Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem before His crucifixion, death and resurrection. It is important to Christians all over the world, and Ghana is no exception.
In Ghana, Palm Sunday is celebrated by various church congregations with processions through some principal streets. Paraders wave palm branches and handkerchiefs and sing “Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!”

The next important day of the Easter season for Ghanaian Christians is Good Friday. Nearly everyone tries to attend church on Good Friday because they believe that their sins from the year are crucified on the cross with the Son of God.

In most orthodox churches, men and women are dressed in dark-color mourning clothes and are in solemn moods. Many people attend church services only this one time during the year.

People in charismatic churches, on the other hand, dress in bright colors and are in happy moods. They believe that Jesus’ death calls for celebration because He died for their sins. 

 

Some ethnic groups, like the Kwehus of the Eastern Region of Ghana, see Easter as one of the holidays that they need to travel to their home town to enjoy. A Kwehu-born person will go to any length to travel home to celebrate Easter.
For other Ghanaians, Easter is just one of the many festivals to celebrate. These people do not know the true meaning of Easter; they take it for fun and go to beaches where they drink and do various immoral things. For them, instead of Easter being a time to do some real soul-searching and transformation, this holiday is a season for entertainment and merry making.

On Easter Sunday, Ghanaian Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Country-wide, everybody dresses in white for church. Everyone is in a happy mood.

The Monday after Easter is mostly a public holiday. People go for picnics to various locations, such as beaches, parks, or church premises, or on out-of-town excursions to tourist attractions. Special dishes are prepared. This day is all merry making. To Ghanaian Christians, Easter is a day of remembering what Christ did on the cross for all mankind; not just remembering but knowing that it was the foundation for their salvation. They believe that without the passion of Christ, people would not know that there is a place for them to go after death.

(Courtesy of Compassion International: http://blog.compassion.com/easter-in-ghana/#ixzz3WVuUyQNd)