(Spencer) Fear God and Release Him

Astronomy is sexy….

Something unexpected happened last night in the streets of Karaga. It all began around 8pm at which time I was dancing like a fool while a boy played a traditional Dagomba guitar-type instrument, I did my best to get others dancing as well but all the children were much too content at laughing at the white man moving about.  A call came for everyone to come outside, and we cleared out from the room. We were greeted with the Aunties beating on plastic barrel drums and chanting loudly.

“Zom naawuni zagmo bahi”

This is great I thought, we have moved up from me being the dancing spectacle to a full out traditional dance with everyone involved. Round in circles we went chanting and dancing, the children were going absolutely wild. Drums beating and with a huge smile I realized that something more was going on than just a fun dance. A hand pointed me to the sky.

Blood red was the moon and the chanting continued. 

Wait.. What? Blood red?

Just earlier in the evening the moon had barely penetrated the skyline and now it was basked in red. Not a sight that is all too common.  The dancing and chanting continued through my confusion. Soon after someone said to me, “The sun has swallowed the moon”…ah ha! A total lunar eclipse, how had I not understood what I was seeing. Just my luck, something special was sure to happen.

A group of children came marching by, yelling out the chant and beating their drums. Our group run over and we became one slightly larger chanting mob. Moving between the compounds and disturbing everyone. As we moved children came pouring out of compounds to join the group and we became larger and larger. Little did I know how large this would become.

“Zom naawuni zagmo bahi”

Round we went navigating the narrow pathways and passing through fields. In the distance I could hear the beating of more drums and a humming of voices. By this time we were about fifty and more children were joining the march by the minute.  One girl kept telling me that I was very tired and I should go back to house. How wrong she was never was; I was more awake than ever, I couldn’t pass up this crazy march of children towards an event that I had no idea. It was she that was tired but I couldn’t communicate it to her that she should return home herself, I think she just wanted to keep me safe. Sorry to keep you out so late.

As we entered the empty market we crossed paths with another group of children headed a different direction. BAM BAM BAM went the drums as they passed by and the chanting from our groups feed on each other. Where were they going? Should we join them? What is really going on?  We continued our path drawing the youth to join the crowd.

We encountered another marching group chanting as they went past; we joined their ranks and in bolstered form started a path to the main road of Karaga. My friend Latifa caught sight of me and ran over, laughing histarically that I was part of the childrens procession. With a little coaxing she joined as well and fun times were had. The beating of drums grew louder, chanting bellowed, screams could be heard; we entered the main roadway.

“Zom naawuni zagmo bahi”

A sea of parading children was all that could be seen stretching both ways to the horizon. All of them chanting together, banging on drums, pulling noisy objects and having a ridiculous time. We were swept up in the charge down the street.  Latifa yelled to me, “The sun has eaten the moon, the sun should fear God and let the moon go”….ah haaa, the children want the moon to be free and are making all this noise so that the sun will let the moon go.  Than the running began.

By the time we reached the edge of Karaga a thunderous noise could be heard quickly approaching and there was screaming all over. The children had started running down the street and if not to run as well it would have surely been foolish.  About turn and like a herd of buffalo or in the case of the Lion King wildebeests (more Disney nights next year =0 ) the herd charged back and forth, all the while chanting and making all the noise humanly possible.

By now children from all end of Karaga have congregated in the great parade. I would estimate that there was between 1500 to 2000 children (youth) out on the street at this moment. A red moon eclipsed by the sun hung in the sky, it was absolute pandemonium.

“Zom naawuni zagmo bahi”

Back and forth on the main road this continued for quite some time. How could anyone be speaking in all of Karaga? The noise was tremendous.  Soon I was exhausted and sweaty beyond belief (why had I not changed out my work clothes!?), regardless there was cause for celebration! The sun had released the moon! A single solitary sliver of silver moon gleamed in the sky! Success! The past hour plus had not been in vain, we had scared the sun from the moon. Light would return to the night. Celebration!

The parade changed course and made its way back into the housing/compound area of the town.  The congregation made a winding path around Karaga as we went children peeled off to their respective homes. Still though the drums and chanting continued, we didn’t want the sun to get any ideas and sneak back up on that poor moon while we relaxed!

Half an hour later we rounded the last bend to my home compound…home at last. A night of crazy children and parading had come to an end; I had never seen anything like this in Canada. An event like no other; late at night, no supervising adults, self-organizing, full of traditional superstition, dancing, chanting, and so much happiness from everyone it was palpable.  What other surprises await?

A last beat on the drum, a farewell, and to my bed I collapsed.

“Zom naawuni zagmo bahi”

-Suhuyihi

Later:

I found out that the eclipse lasted 100 minutes and was the longest since the year 2000, thank goodness we were there to wrench the moon from the belly of the sun!

The translation:

Zom naawuni zagmo bahi

Fear God and release him