Basic 6 · Religious and Moral Education · Religious Worship

Gathering Data on Religious Festivals

In this topic you will gather and record data on religious festivals celebrated in Ghana by Christians, Muslims and traditional believers.

By the end of these notes you should be able to:

Name major religious festivals in Ghana
Use interviews and observation to gather data
Record festival data in a table

What you already know

The importance of prayer

Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.

Strand: Religious Practices
Sub-strand: Religious Worship
Indicator: B6.2.2.1.1 – Gather and record data on religious festivals

Introduction

Ghana is a land of festivals. Christmas, Eid and Homowo bring families together, fill the streets with music and remind people of their faith and history.

1. Major Religious Festivals

Religious festivals in Ghana

Festival	Religion	When	What it celebrates
Christmas	Christianity	25th December	the birth of Jesus Christ
Easter	Christianity	March or April	the death and resurrection of Jesus
Eid al-Fitr	Islam	end of Ramadan (date varies)	completing a month of fasting
Eid al-Adha	Islam	during the Hajj season (date varies)	Prophet Ibrahim's obedience and willingness to sacrifice his son
Homowo	Traditional (Ga)	August–September	hooting at hunger after a past famine
Aboakyer	Traditional (Effutu, Winneba)	May	a deer hunt in honour of the gods
Odwira	Traditional (Akuapem and others)	September–October	purification and honouring ancestors
Hogbetsotso	Traditional (Anlo Ewe)	November	the escape from Notsie
Damba	Islam and tradition (Dagomba, Gonja and others)	according to the Islamic calendar	the birth and naming of the Prophet Muhammad

2. Methods of Gathering Data

Data collection methods

Method	How
interview	ask parents, religious leaders and elders questions
observation	watch a festival and note what happens
questionnaire	give classmates a short form to fill
reading	use books, newspapers and websites
photographs	take pictures (with permission)

A pupil interviewing an elder about a festival — Figure 1: Gathering festival data Prepare five interview questions about a festival.Illustration: Sirbus

3. Sample Interview Questions

What is the name of the festival and which religion celebrates it?
When is it celebrated?
What does it remember or celebrate?
What activities take place?
What special foods, clothes or songs are used?
What lessons does the festival teach?

4. Recording the Data

Record your findings in a data table with columns for the festival name, religion, date, reason, activities and lessons. Write neatly and note the name of the person who gave you the information and the date of the interview.

Check your data by asking more than one person, because people may remember details differently. Compare what you hear with books or reliable websites. If two sources disagree, note both and ask your teacher or a religious leader to help explain the difference.

Safety: Always ask permission before interviewing or photographing people, especially at religious ceremonies.

New words

festival: A special time of celebration.
data: Facts collected for study.
interview: Asking someone questions to gather information.
observation: Watching carefully and noting what happens.
Ramadan: The Islamic month of fasting.
resurrection: Rising from the dead.

Summary

Ghana celebrates Christian, Islamic and traditional festivals.
Data can be gathered by interview, observation, questionnaires and reading.
Prepare good questions before interviewing.
Record data neatly in a table, with sources.

Class activity: Festival Survey

Each group chooses one festival.
Interview two people and record the answers.
Fill in a class festival data table.

You need: Printed Ghanaian communal-labour scenario cards, Broom, Waste basket, Manila civic-action cards

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. Christmas celebrates…
- A. the birth of Jesus
- B. the end of Ramadan
- C. a deer hunt
- D. a famine
Show answer
Answer: the birth of Jesus25th December.
2. Eid al-Fitr marks…
- A. the end of Ramadan fasting
- B. the birth of Jesus
- C. harvest of yams
- D. independence
Show answer
Answer: the end of Ramadan fastingIslamic festival.
3. Aboakyer is celebrated in…
- A. Winneba
- B. Tamale
- C. Ho
- D. Bolgatanga
Show answer
Answer: WinnebaEffutu deer hunt.
4. Homowo is a Ga festival.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: True"Hooting at hunger".
5. You can photograph religious ceremonies without permission.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: FalseAlways ask first.
6. The Islamic month of fasting is ______.
Show answer
Answer: RamadanEnds with Eid al-Fitr.
7. Name one festival from each of the three religions.
Show answer
Answer: Christmas (Christian), Eid al-Fitr (Islamic), Homowo (Traditional).One each.
8. Write three good interview questions about a festival.
Show answer
Answer: What does it celebrate? When is it held? What lessons does it teach?Open questions.

Homework

Interview a family member about a festival they celebrate and record the answers.