EGUNGUN FESTIVAL
Masked dances and festivals are common in many parts of Nigeria, but among the Yoruba people of the southwest, few occasions are more colorful than the annual Egungun festival, when ancestors, forefathers and other famous figures of the ethnicity are celebrated and the memory of those already deceased is commemorated by the people.
images.jpeg
The Egungun festival is usually held in May in important towns in Ogun State, Lagos and other parts of Yorubaland. The spirit of the ancestors, represented by various colorfully dressed masquerades, makes them visible to the mortal world. Among the locals, the Egungun festival provides an opportunity, widely cherished in most African societies, for the dead to influence the affairs of the living and to unite with their families and friends. Egungun may represent the specific first or last name of a deceased person.
benin-west-africa-porto-novo-egoun-egoun-spirit-of-the-deads-walking-F2HG3K.jpg
The festival lasts for a week of events. And these events, like any important occasion, attract thousands of visitors and tourists. The magnificent Egungun masquerade has different designs depending on the ancestor or god represented, but all use wooden ceremonial masks as an essential part of their regalia. For seven days, the costume festival parades through the streets, bestowing blessings on the land and the people it encounters. On the seventh day, the entire performance takes place in the Royal Palace and is concluded by the Oba (King). At the end of the conclusion, all the masquerades return to their kingdom and are not seen again until a year later at another festival.
Watch ;
facebook_20240713_132648.mkv
Powered by;
Bosman