tourist is to escape the ordinary and experience weird and
mind-blowing festivals around the country. The country has a lot of
cultures and traditional customs which are fully expressed in
festivals.
Here are some of Nigeria's festivals that have a lot of weird
activities that you would definitely enjoy:
1. Eyo Festival
In the past, the Eyo Festival takes place when they want to escort the
soul of any departed King or Chief in Lagos and also in welcoming
another king. White clad Eyo masquerades are seen in their thousands
with some as tall as a palm when they move around, this festival is
celebrated in Tinubu Square Lagos and these masquerades can beat up
people who are seen with bicycles, motorcycles, suku which is a
popular hairstyle among the Yorubas, those who are putting on sandals
and anyone who smokes during the festival.
2. Sango Festival
Sango Festival is a celebration to honour an ancient hero, Sango – the
god of thunder in Oyo State. In this festival the Sango faithful are
decorated in a weird manner, all dressed in red while the Ifa priests
are clothed in white regalia. Masquerades, drummers and hundreds of
traditional dancers still give this festival one of the most respected
and experienced by thousands of tourists around the world.
3. The Benin Festival
The Benin Festival is held every four years, at the end of raining
season in Benin. Thousands of people gather together to witness this
weird festival, where eligible men and women in the prime are put in
this matchmaking festival as they become ritually acquainted. In the
olden days, these young men come out nude, but nowadays, they are
clothed and heavily painted. It is only the wealthy families in Benin
who can afford this expensive ceremony. The ladies are beautiful
dressed with heavy costumes.
4. Leboku New Yam Festival
If you want to experience the New Yam festival that would involve the
celebration of the ancestral spirits and the earth goddess, you should
visit Yakurr in Cross River State where Leboku New Yam Festival takes
place. This annual festival has a lot of weird activities which take
place within three weeks. Activities such as engaged maidens are
paraded, exchange of visits to families, the ancestors are appeased
and no one is permitted to do any intense farming. Women dressed in
beautiful attires parade new harvested yams at the beginning of the
festival.
5. Argungu Fishing Festival
This colourful fishing festival is witnessed in a village called
Argungu in Kebbi State. This festival is a sort of extreme fishing
that is held for four days and thousands of competitors are seen
inside the Malan Fada River to catch the biggest fishes with either
traditional fishing nets or with their bare hands. Imagine catching
fishes that weighs more than a human with bare hands; this makes the
festival very weird.
6. Osun Festival
At the end of the raining season in August, the Osun Festival is held
at the creepy Oshogbo Sacred Forest for seven days, the Osun devotees
celebrates the river goddess, Oshun where the deity priests conduct
rituals for protection of the locals. Barren women are believed to be
blessed with children when they attend this festival.
7. Olojo Festival
The Olojo Festival is held in Ife, Osun State where the Ooni ( The
King of Ife) separates himself from the world for communion with the
spirits to make him pure before the festival and rids his palace of
evil forces. The King the lead his people to Okemogun shrine, where he
renews his oath as an Ooni at the foot of Oketage hill by a priest.
8. Sharo Cultural Festival
The Sharo cultural festival is witnessed by the Fulani tribe of
northern Nigeria, this festival is a traditional rite of passage for
the young men who want to get married. There is no love story in this
festival because these men are led into a ring without clothes, the
man who endures the flogging from men armed with whips amid drumming,
loud cheering from the crowd and singing without crying out wins the
hand of the bride in question. This festival is so weird because it is
believed that any man who can withstand the intense pain from flogging
is a strong man, scars gotten are forever.
9. Ivbamen Festival
You may have attended some weird festivals in different parts of the
world, a visit to Ozalla in Enugu State would present you to the
Ivbamen Festival where boys are initiated in a ceremony that involves
some spiritual rites and rituals.
10. The Onitsha Ivory Festival
We have talked about the festivals that are mostly dominated by the
men, but in Onitsha Ivories Festival, it is the women who indulge in
weird activities, wives of wealthy men are seen collecting ivory and
coral that would be used to design their own costumes. Any woman who
has been able to acquired plenty coral and ivory to decorate her ivory
costume will be given the prestigious title 'Ozo' – An Ivory holder.
To be qualified, the participant is expected to have two large pieces
of ivory, which weigh 25 kilos each.
Have you experienced any of these festivals? Kindly, share your
experience with us in the comment box below.
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