Promoting African Culture Among Streemian: Eyo Festival

Hello streemians, Am africaunchained and today I will be sharing with the community about African details. This is an act of unveiling and promoting African norms and culture to the entire world and steemit community as a whole.

** Today post will base on one of our cherish festival. Which is the Eyo festival **

Eyo festival one of the festival that do occur In Lagos, Nigeria and it is also known as the Adamu orisa play has been occurring from the old days maybe back much further that almost all lagosians can every imagine. It all started when the ejilu and malaki brothers introduce the adamu orisa (eyo) to the then Olugbani, the Olori of Oba Ado who was the first ruler of lagos having his seat of government at iga iduganran. It was stated from some source that the brothers who brought this Adamu Orisa to lagos came on a visit to the funeral of the Oba Ado and as their contribution towards the funeral, they both present their Adamu Orisas to perform in the funeral rites (they are the Adamu, Oniko and Ologeda). It was stated according to history that Oniko, due to the fact that he has spiritual power was brought first so as to drive away every evil spirits and forceson their way, then the Ologede follow due to his shared power with Oniko as stated above,but the Adamu orisa is been regarded as being more sacred and the eldest than the other two.

Camping the orisas

In ancient time, it was their doctrine that the instrument, head craving and the dress which will be use for the orisas staging are not kept within the urban communities or their houses. To protect their sacredness, camps were created for them in scheduled villages like ibefun, oke ipa and near iperu.

Significance of the festival to the people of lagos

It is mandatory that a festival should take place when a kind die, a farewell rite which is done to a monarch that pass on. Families who want a festival for their family members who pass away and is a lagosian will put forward a request to Akinsiku of lagos who is the head of Eyos. To meet the conditions, offerings and gifts were received and distributed among the deity families of lagos, and a favourable date will be choose after a divination process have taken place. A week before the Eyo Festival, the arrival of the Opa is observed. The Eyo play keep continuing in lagos after they were established as the only set of masquarades with the three orisas, and in order for the orisas to be protected and the surging crowd to be controlled, the idea that the eyo should be in white flowing ropes (Agbada) was brought in and approved by the Oba (king). After the implementation of the ideas, on the Eyo Day they came out in white agbadas at the Obas palace and were allocated to secure each Orisa and made leaders and also police with a carrier “Loba” which is a bag that contain mystical powers of juju which can make the group punish offends that broke the rules and regulation governing them.

Author: @valchiz

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