How does Africa celebrate New Year?
New Year celebrations are celebrated differently throughout Africa. Just like other parts of the world, each region or even each country in Africa has its own folklore and customs when celebrating the New Year.
In addition to the most known New Year’s Day from the Gregorian calendar, many African countries observe different New Year celebrations based on different religious calendars or specific events that happen in the year.
Come with me for an African tour of New Year celebrations!
Akan New Year: the Festival of the Yam in Cote d’Ivoire
Let’s start our tour with the Akan people.
Many ethnic groups throughout Africa celebrate different versions of the festival of yam.
In Côte d’Ivoire, the Akan people celebrate this festival in Agnibilekrou, a town located 270 km northeast of Abidjan. It represents the New Year for the Akan/ Agni people. The festival dates from 300 years ago.
This New Year celebration happens in November. It honors the yam. The legend says that the yam saved the Agni people from starvation when they fled from the Ashanti Kingdom (Ghana) to what is now known as Cote d’Ivoire.
During the festival, a new King is enthroned. The royal seats (Bia) are taken from their secret sanctuary and are shown to the public.
There are sacrifices to the Akan gods, spirits and ancestors. People dance and perform purification rituals. They thank the spirits and offer prayers for peace and prosperity.
Yam is not eaten during the festival, only at the end, after it has been purified.
The Baha’i New Year: Naw Ruz
About one million Baha’is – followers of the Baha’i faith – live in Africa. The Baha’i faith is the second most spread religion in the world – in terms of locations, after the Christian faith – with believers all over the globe. Your girl is a Baha’i herself (oui, moi!).
The Baha’i New Year celebration takes place in March, between the 20th and 22nd day of that month. It has its origin in the Zoroastrian calendar.
For Baha’is, this New Year celebration marks the end of a 19-days of fast, which is a time of spiritual reflection. The Baha’i Naw Ruz represents spiritual renewal and reinvigoration.
Celebrations can take place at the local Baha’i center, in believers’ homes or other locations. Celebrations are devoid of specific rituals. They usually entail prayers, singing and sharing of food.
Brenha Serkan, a New Year celebration in Ethiopia
Rosh Hashanah, also called Brenha Serkan in Ethiopia, is celebrated at the same time as for the rest of the Jewish world, at the end of September. Brenha Serkan means the rise of the dawn in Amharic. Ethiopian Jews celebrate this occasion on one day, unlike the rest of the Jewish world who celebrate it over two days.
On Brenha Serkan, believers go to the synagogues in the morning for a long prayer. Lamb is a staple food during that celebration. Families also share injera – Ethiopian bread -, doro wot, and vegetable stews.
Hindu New Year celebration: Diwali or the festival or light
According to Wikipedia, Africa is home to almost 900,000 Hindus. Diwali is one of the most important holidays celebrated by Hindus. So it’s not a surprise that this holiday is celebrated in many parts of Africa, like Mauritius, South Africa, Kenya or Ghana.
This holiday is celebrated between October and November. It represents the victory of good over evil, light over darkness.
During this festival, believers clean and decorate their houses with beautiful lightings and flowers and candles, and drawings made with vibrant colorful lime powder.
People give gifts to their loved ones. It is also the occasion to pray to the Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.
New Year’s traditions in Ethiopia: Enkutatash
Enkutatash means Gift of Jewel in Amharic. It is the Ethiopian New Year. And it’s also celebrated in Eritrea.
Enkutatash represents the end of the rainy season. This New Year tradition started centuries ago. According to the legend, the Queen of Sheba returned from a visit to Jerusalem and was welcomed home with gifts of jewels, hence the name of the celebration.
On the eve of this New Year celebration, people go to a church service and offer prayers for the New Year ahead. On the actual New Year day, families gather in festive gatherings, and children receive gifts.
It’s also custom to slaughter an animal that was purchased the day before -chicken, cow, sheep or goat-, and to prepare the meat for lunch.
Some popular meals served at this New Year celebration are Doro Wot – a spicy chicken stew-, and Dulet – a mix of minced beef, liver, and lamb trip, sometimes served raw.
The Muslim New Year
Africa is home to a third of the Muslim world population. Every year, Muslim believers celebrate the Hijiri or Islamic New Year, based on a lunar calendar. It happens on the first day of the month of Muharram. The corresponding date varies each year on the Gregorian calendar.
This New Year tradition commemorates the Day the prophet Mohamad left Mecca to go to Medina.
Celebrations vary in each country. But generally, people say special prayers and go to the mosque for worship. It’s an occasion for believers to reflect on their lives and their own mortality. Quite different from the Gregorian New Year spirit!
Do Nigerians celebrate New Year? The Igbo New Year
Yes, Nigerians celebrate the Gregorian New Year like anywhere else in the world, as well as the Islamic New Year – Nigeria has one of the biggest Muslim population in the world.
The Igbo New Year is also celebrated in Nigeria. It is called the Igu Aro festival. The Igbo New Year starts in February and is based on a lunar calendar.
On this day, the Eze Nri (Igbo Royal Majesty) distribute yam seedlings and tell the Igbo people to go sow their land for the coming crop season.
Voodoo New Year celebration: The Epe Ekpe festival
The Epe Ekpe festival is celebrated in Togo, in the little town of Glidji – about 30 miles from the capital Lomé. It’s a voodoo festival that represents the New Year celebration in the Guen (also known as Mina) ethnic group. This New Year celebration happens most years in September – sometimes in August.
During the week-long celebration, hundreds of voodoo worshippers, dressed in white, arrive in the town. There are festivities, dances, singing, and sacrifices.
The peak of the celebration is the unveiling of the sacred stone. A voodoo priest travels to the sacred forest to seek the stone that will determine the outcome of the coming year. A red stone is a bad auspice. A white stone means prosperity to come.
Thank you for allowing me to take you on the African tour of New Year celebrations! What other New Year celebrations have you heard about in Africa?
I hope you have a wonderful Gregorian New Year celebration. And I’ll see you in 2022!
