Old Tafo: Ohum Festival and Hotels

Old Tafo is considered the home of the Ohum Festival of Akyem Abuakwa. July and September are cited as festival months; specific dates may vary. For travelers with a cultural focus, this connection gives the town a clear reason to visit and raises a practical question: When would you like to travel?

The Ohum Festival and Old Tafo

The Ohum Shrine and Ohum Dua (Gyempremo Shrine) in Old Tafo is at the heart of the Ohum Festival of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area. This brings together three aspects: Old Tafo as the home of the festival, Akyem Abuakwa as its cultural setting, and the shrine as its focal point. For travelers who take culture into account when choosing a destination, this connection provides a clear thread to follow. You can understand Old Tafo through the link between the festival and the shrine, rather than viewing the festival as an isolated event.

The Gyempremo Shrine

The Gyempremo Shrine is a sacred shrine with an ancient spiritual tree. The names Ohum Shrine and Ohum Dua and Gyempremo Shrine refer to the same place in Old Tafo. This naming helps bring the cultural references together: Ohum is the name of the festival, while the names Ohum Shrine and Ohum Dua and Gyempremo Shrine refer to the sacred site. The spiritual tree is part of the description of this sacred place and adds a specific feature to its connection with the festival. This makes it possible to understand the shrine as a distinct part of the cultural context without separating it from the festival.

Rituals during the festival

During the Ohum Festival, the chief and people of Akyem Tafo and the surrounding area visit the Gyempremo Shrine. There, they perform rituals and make offerings to the deity. The festival is associated with Akyem Abuakwa; the people involved in the ritual visit are the chief and the people of Akyem Tafo and the surrounding area. These different connections help put the festival’s cultural affiliation and the specific events at the shrine into context. For travelers interested in religious practices, the distinctive feature is that rituals and offerings are part of the festival at this sacred place.

Festival months and travel planning

July and September provide an initial guide to the timing, but not specific fixed dates for visiting: dates may vary. If the Ohum Festival is the reason for your trip, check the specific dates for your preferred travel period before finalizing your stay. If you would also like to visit the Gyempremo Shrine, check whether a visit is possible on your travel dates. This way, you can take two separate factors into account: when the festival takes place and whether a visit to the shrine fits into your travel plans.

Old Tafo as a travel destination

For a trip centered on the festival, the specific festival dates determine your preferred travel period. If you choose Old Tafo more generally because of its cultural connection to Ohum, your travel dates can depend more on your overall plans. The difference is whether a specific festival event determines your travel dates or whether the festival mainly provides the cultural context for choosing your destination. In either case, Old Tafo’s connection to Ohum remains a distinctive point of reference.

Discover more destinations: Koforidua, Nsawam, Akropong, Obosomase, Obo, Akyem Kwabeng, Dodowa, Akuse

Go to the regional travel overview: Eastern Region.