People from all walks of life thronged Elmina on Tuesday afternoon to witness the ritual performed at the banks of the Benya Lagoon to commence the week-long celebration of the 'Edina Bakatue' Festival.
Bakatue is an annual festival celebrated on every first week in July by the chiefs and people of Elmina to invoke the gods of the lagoon and their ancestors for bumper harvests during the farming and fishing seasons.
The colourful ceremony begun with a procession of chiefs in beautifully decorated palanquins, traditional priests and priestesses processing through the principal streets of Elmina with brief stops at sacred shrines where final purification ceremonies were performed.
The background was awash with different shades of palanquins and umbrellas with unique features depicting superiority, jurisdiction and origin.
The chiefs and their entourage arrived at the banks of the Benya Lagoon dancing to the tune of 'mbombaa' drumming while roaring cheers came from the people as they brought their rich culture to bear.
Nana Kodwo Kondua VI, the Omanhen of Edina Traditional Area, arrived at the grounds dressed in white cloth with white band mixed with green leaves (nyanya) tied around the head and neck, holding a staff symbolising authority and protection.
The crowd moved towards the Omanhen to cheer him up as he arrived to perform the rituals, giving the police a frantic task controlling them.
The climax of the event was the casting of the Omanhen's net in the Lagoon to determine whether there would be a bumper harvest for the coming season.
This was done thrice and it caught fish at every cast, indicating that there would be bumper harvest this fishing and farming season.
It was followed by firing of muskets to announce the lifting of ban on fishing, drumming, funerals and noise making in general.
This received loud applause from the crowd of celebrants, who shouted with joy and excitement.
A grand durbar would be held on Saturday July 7 to climax the week-long festival.
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