Hundreds of indigenes of Peki Dzake in the South Dayi District of the Volta Region from across the country and beyond, celebrated Easter Monday in grand style on the bank of one of the district’s traditional rivers.
The river, known as Homblor, is believed to be a goddess that protects the indigenes of Dzake.
According to some patrons who trooped to the river in their numbers, the river goddess has been very helpful to them, hence the need to visit the area during the Easter period to pay homage.
“This river here is a goddess that has all its indigenes at heart so we have also decided to at least honour it during the Easter period,” some celebrants said.
“This is the third time in a row where we the indigenes of Peki Dzake are celebrating Easter picnic at the river bank, and the numbers have been swelling year after year.”
Numbering over a thousand, the celebrants engaged in fun-filled activities, including playing cards, ludo, draught and dance competitions – including ‘borbor’ dance among other things.
The packed venue saw the youth, as well as the aged all engaged in one activity or another.
The merrymakers were equally entertained with good music from a local DJ, who entreated them to good and latest hip-life and high life tunes.
The river, which is referred to by the natives as Homblor, has served the people in the area for generations.
The Assembly member for the area, Victor Amegbe, aka Awudu, said “the river has been there since the days of our great grandfathers, and it has served us very well as the only source of potable drinking water”.
Describing the River and its significance in the area, he noted that “Homblor river is believed by the natives to be a female river god which has compassion for its people due to the purpose it serves in our lives here. Before we had water flowing through our pipes, Homblor river, though not that big and large, it serves the entire community without running dry. Not even when water is hard to come by during the dry season“he said.
They say the flows from the soil of Dzake, and flows through to Abutia in the Ho West Constituency. It is however surrounded by bamboos.
Explaining why the community chose to celebrate Easter Mondays at the river bank, Mr. Amegbe added that, it was necessary for the community to continue to recognize the significance of the Homblor river, since apart from being a source of potable drinking water in the area in the past, it also protects the indigenes wherever they are both home and abroad.
“This is a female river god which seeks the welfare of its indigenes wherever they find themselves and so it is important we celebrate it and make the entire world know about our river. So we agreed to celebrate the Easter picnic here starting from last year [2017], and it has been very massive and welcomed by our people.”
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By: Elvis Washington/citifmonline.com/Ghana