Tamale Fire Festival

I was fortunate to have been in Northern Region during the first two weeks of December. Nothing struck me as out of the ordinary on December 5th. People were doing their usual things, wearing their usual clothing. Nothing would have prepared me for the spectacle that was awaiting me upon our return to Tamale.

Tamale December 5th

Bugum or the the fire festival takes place in December each year in the Northern Region of Ghana. According to the internet, it is celebrating the arrival of Noah’s Ark after the flood. The festival draws people from many ethnic groups and religions (both Christians and Muslims take part). It is the view of many Muslims that because the Ark landed at night, torches were lit to allow Noah and his people to tell if they had reached land. An opposing view is that a son of a great king was lost during the night so people lit torches to search for the missing prince at night. In short, it is an important night for people in the region, regardless of their faith.

Procession in Tamale

As we were driving back to Tamale in late afternoon, I noticed that in each village we passed, children were running around holding bundles of grass in the air while singing and yelling. I wondered if it was some Ghanaian version of Halloween because some of the children were wearing white face paint that gave them a skeletal appearance. The bundles of grass are prepared during the afternoon as the festival takes place after nightfall. Part of the festival includes offering some of the dinner prepared for that evening to their departed ancestors. Families will pray for prosperity and good health for the coming year.

Procession through the streets of Tamale

The main event of the festival is a procession through the streets once the torches are all lit. People are singing and drumming and dancing along the street. The youtube video I found (below), gives an excellent indication of the festival procession so please watch it. I am assuming this person was fortunate (and brave!) enough to walk through the streets. As we were driving through Tamale I was able to take a few pictures. I know the quality isn’t the greatest but it gives some idea of the festival. 

In Tamale the noise was incredible for a city that goes very quiet after nightfall. People were setting off fire crackers and other items that made huge ‘bang’ sounds. It was really pretty to see some fireworks being lit, despite the fact that they exploded too close to the ground for my comfort! I asked (rather jokingly) if alcohol was involved in getting the crowd riled up for the procession and other activities and I was told it absolutely was. It was really cool to see people of all ages celebrating their festival happily and peacefully. It was an adventure trying to get back to the hotel from the small market so we wouldn’t get stuck in the procession so our driver took back roads to get in front of the procession. Part of me wishes I had been gutsy enough to try and join in however I enjoyed watching the procession pass by my hotel.

The internet also tells me that part of the festival is for people to test their magical power and to pacify the gods. Several news articles about Bugum indicate that people sometimes die when they try to ‘test’ their magical powers by stabbing themselves however I didn’t see any of that going on.

It was amazing to see that many people walking
through the streets

Regardless, I was really fortunate to have been able to experience some of the awesomeness that is the Tamale fire festival.