What is Bragro?

Bragro is an initiation rite performed for girls on reaching puberty. The average age is. between fourteen and sixteen (14 -16) years, or the age when they first menstruate. As soon as a parent knows of her daughter’s first menstruation, the girl is presented. to the Queen mother to go through the rites.

What is puberty rites Ghana?

After the child naming ceremony, puberty rites are the next set of rituals of social status transformation which children undergo in Ghanaian culture. The most well preserved puberty rites are the Dipo (pictured) of the Krobo ethnic group and the Bragoro of the Ashanti’s.

What is Bragoro in Akan?

Bragoro, also known as Brapue, is a puberty rite performed by the Akans especially among the Ashantis. Traditionally, a young girl undergoes the Bragoro rites after experiencing her first ever menstruation, which according to the Akans signals womanhood for the young girl hence the need to undergo the puberty rites.

How is puberty rite celebrated?

On the first day of the rites, the girls have their heads shaved and dressed with cloth around their waist to just their knee level. This is done by a special ritual mother and it signifies their transition from childhood to adulthood. They are paraded to the entire community as the initiates (dipo-yo).

What is Dipo in Ghana?

Dipo is a historical rites of passage among the Krobo in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The goal of Dipo is to assist pubertal girls in transitioning into adulthood by shaping moral values and social responsibilities, learning home management skills, and preventing risky sexual behavior.

What is a rites of passage ceremony?

Rites of passage are ceremonies that mark an individual’s progression from one stage of life to another. Examples of life cycle events include birth, puberty, the transition to adulthood, and marriage, as well as sacred or secular initiations.

How is Krobo marriage done?

Bridal Permission, called “Yobami” in our Krobo language, marks the end of the preliminary official rites according to our Krobo tradition. Here, the suitor’s family official ask permission from the girl’s family to have the girl given to them. This enables the woman to move to the man’s house.

What is Kyiribra?

Among the Akan, kyiribra means becoming pregnant. without going through the bragor. ɔ rites (puberty. rites).

What are Widowhood rites?

Widowhood rites refer to the rituals and customs that are performed for a woman when her husband dies. REASONS FOR THE WIDOWHOOD RITES IN GHANA. Defense against ghosts. The widowhood rites are performed with the belief that it would prevent the ghost (spirit) of the dead husband from haunting the living spouse.

What happens during Dipo?

Dipo initiates learn a special dance known as “Klama,” where the dead and the living are believed to participate (Coplan, 1972). Participants usually undergo a ritual bath and are required to sit on a stone before the ceremony ends to determine their virginity (Steegstra, 2005).

What is a Dipo?

Abstract. The girl child’s transition from childhood to adulthood, Dipo, is of prime importance in the development of the Krobo community of Ghana. The transition acknowledges the part women play in the welfare of society; hence the performance of elaborate puberty rites for girls.

What are the 5 rites of passage?

These rites are linked to individual and community development. Dr. Manu Ampim identifies five stages; rite to birth, rite to adulthood, rite to marriage, rite to eldership and rite to ancestorship.

What are the 3 rites of passage?

At their most basic, all rites of passage are characterized by three distinct phases: separation (leaving the familiar), transition (a time of testing, learning and growth), and return (incorporation and reintegration).

What is God in Krobo language?

Mawudziŋua : God is Great. Manye- Blessing. Suɔmi – Love.

What is knocking in marriage?

Knocking or ‘kokooko’ is the first step in the marriage process, and is a symbol of respect in the direction of unifying two families. The groom will be accompanied by his family to formally ask the bride’s family for the bride’s hand in marriage.

What are the three stages of widowhood?

Rehl divides widowhood into three distinct stages: Grief, Growth and Grace.

How widowhood rite is performed in Ghana?

In a report on violence against women in Ghana, the United Nations (UN) Division for the Advancement of Women indicated that widowhood rites included confining the widow to a room, shaving her head, having her wear a rope around her neck and conducting a ritual bath (11-14 Apr.

Where do the Krobos come from?

The Krobo people are an ethnic group in Ghana. They are grouped as part of Ga-Adangbe ethnolinguistic group and they are also the largest group of the seven Dangme ethnic groups of Southeastern Ghana. The Krobo are a farming people who occupy Accra Plains, Akuapem Mountains and the Afram Basin.

How Dipo rites are performed among the Krobos?

They are taught the Klama dance, undergo a ritual bath and the crux of the rite is when the girls are made to sit on a stone which is believed determines virginity. Any girl who is found not to be a virgin at the time of the rites used to be ostracized in the past and was treated as an outcast.

What are the 3 stages of a rite of passage?