10 things Ghanaians love to do on Saturdays

LifeStyle for Saturday, September 19, 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

2020-09-19

Have you ever wondered what Ghanaians love to do on the weekends after a long week of work or school?

Well, living in Ghana on a weekday is a juggle between hustle and bustle. People don’t usually have time to party for the sake of the week.

The thought of going to work on a Monday morning gives you the chills, but as the weekend approaches, it all comes down to having good relaxation and a memorable weekend.

GhanaWeb offers its readers 10 things Ghanaians love to do on Saturdays.

Exercise

On Saturday mornings, Ghanaians love to exercise in the morning. People go jogging in groups because it is free and refreshing to do it outside. Ayi Mensah Valley is a common place where people converge to exercise, climbing the Aburi Mountains.
On the other hand, those who can afford it go to the gym to reduce their weight or gain weight.

Either way, Ghanaians engage in routine exercises to get rid of a stressful weekday and stay in shape.

Eat waakye

Waakye is a Ghanaian dish made of cooked rice and beans, which is usually eaten for breakfast or lunch. It is very easy to see a group of Ghanaians buying this local dish on a Saturday morning.

Immediately after exercise in the morning, people go hunting Waakye. While one school of thought believes that “the best Waakye is the one sold near a drain”, another school of thought says that “the best Waakye is sold by people who have a gold-plated artificial tooth.”

The dish is served on green leaves and is eaten with a combination of a pinch of gari, vegetable or spaghetti salad, wele, egg, banana, fish or meat, and a ball of shito (black pepper sauce) and stew.

Clean

While some prefer to exercise in the morning, others prefer to do their homework on Saturdays. If you visit most Ghanaians in their home on a weekend morning, the first thing you will find them doing is doing their laundry or doing some cleaning at home.

As for who invented this routine, no one knows, but in most Ghanaian households, people wash their things a lot, especially if they want to attend church on Sundays. The busy weekday hours do not give them the freedom to do household chores. This is the time people use to fix, repair, or replace broken items at home.

Watch football

Most men or boys in Ghana always look forward to the weekend because that is the time when they can watch their favorite clubs play abroad. Most Ghanaians love to watch the English Premier League, as they consider it the most competitive league due to the best players fighting to win the title.

People often visit their friends in pubs, houses, and game viewing centers to watch sports matches. Ghanaians not only like to watch football, they can stay up at dawn to watch the NBA, boxing, tennis and other sports activities.

Attend funerals and weddings

Take a walk through a typical Ghanaian community and you will find people mourning the death of a loved one. Elders often travel the length and breadth of the country to help family or friends bury a loved one. In most communities, roads are sometimes blocked for the final rites of the dead, generating a lot of traffic. This often causes discomfort to travelers.

One cool thing to keep in mind is that when you miss a close relative’s funeral, they will refund your money by not attending any of their events.

Also, while the elderly are mainly seen attending funerals, especially to help with some rites, the middle-aged and young people love to attend the wedding ceremonies of their loved ones. Weddings in Ghana are times to bond with family and friends who have been away for a while due to busy work schedules or proximity. If you miss a wedding in Ghana, you will be thinking about the conversations and the opportunity to miss the old friends who attended and the delicious meals that were served amid the entertaining party at the reception.

Expect parties

Ghanaians are very lively people who love to whine after a long work week. In fact, weekends start on Friday nights in Ghana. People go to bars, pubs and parties to relax.

Couples, friends, and family often get together on Saturday nights to chat over drinks, khebabs, and hot dogs. Drinking bars make sure to stock their coolers with drinks before a good night of business.

However, apart from the top six things Ghanaians love to do on weekends as mentioned above, here are other things that are done in Ghana on Saturdays.

Shopping

People usually go to the market to buy some food that they will need for the week or the month. Others also take the opportunity to do some shopping for themselves, their loved ones, and their family.

Watch TV or listen to the radio

There is no time to listen to the radio or watch television when there is a business deal, so people often listen to their favorite radio or watch their favorite television shows on Saturdays. From political shows to sports to entertainment, people stick to their sets on the weekends.

Go to check-ups at the Hospital or visit the Bank

Since busy weekday schedules don’t give people time to go do some checkups. People go to hospitals on weekends to have a session with their doctors. Others also take advantage of the day to visit their banks to do some checks and balances on their accounts.

Church rehearsal

In anticipation of Sunday services, Christians often go to church at night to tidy up the house of their Maker. Other activities such as choreography, song ministry rehearsals are held on Saturday nights in preparation for the main Church service on Sunday.

Attend musical concerts

Host an event on a Saturday night and Ghanaians will welcome the occasion in your number. Most music shows and awards events are held on Saturday nights in Ghana because there is no work the next day.

There are more things Ghanaians do on Saturdays, you can add your own if we leave something out.

So the next time you visit Ghana on a Saturday, the above are some of the things you can do to have a relaxing day.