A CULTURAL FESTIVAL:: THE EGWU-CULTURAL FESTIVAL OF THE IGALA PEOPLE::

It is indeed my pleasure to share with you this wonderful topic. Before going further I must, first of all, commend the good work of the various admins of both communities who take their time to bring up something really wonderful and hence see to it that we are all very comfortable and bring out their best to see that this program is a success.

Therefore, for the purpose of this topic which is about “A CULTURAL FESTIVAL” Tell us all about a festival that holds in your country that is unique only to your people. And tell us why you enjoy it so much. Or if you don't.

Before going into details about this, I will therefore like to give you a brief intro about my where I hail from.

I am from a tribe called Igala, in the Kogi state of Nigeria. My tribe is one major tribe found in the Kogi state. It will interest you all to know that the Igala kingdom is a pre-colonial West African State, Middle Belt, which shares its boundary with the Benue (tiv) people and was founded by the Igala people. The capital of the igala kingdom is known as Idah.

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It will also interest you all to know that the igala tradition is simply a product of an integral part of Our African Culture. With Everything, it balls down to the concept of God which stands as the central to religion.

Furthermore, it will interest you to know that like every other country, tribe, and locality, which have their distinct cultures and values, the Igala people are no different from them. It is on this note I will therefore let you know that the Igala Kingdom celebrates six (6) different kinds of cultural festivals which has a unique attribute to it and to why there are being celebrated and all these festivals are hence celebrated annually at different times all before the beginning of the rainy season.

The various kinds of festivals celebrated are hence listed below.

• The Egwu Cultural Festival
• The Ocho Cultural Festival
• The Oganyiganyi Cultural Festival
• Egbe Cultural Festival
• The Okula Festival

Among all these listed festival, I will therefore like to write about the first which is The Egwu Cultural Festival

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It will interest you to know that The Egwu cultural festival simply stands for two distinct things which are MASQUERADE and the other DEAD which therefore connotes the ancestors of the land.

These masquerades in my culture simply simplify that all the dead ancestors simply appear to them on a special occasion in order to communicate with them.

It is on this note I will let you all know that the Egwu festival is simply a festival done in celebration in memory of the departed souls of the Igala society. And this festival is therefore regarded as one of the most important of all the festivals that are being conducted in the Igala Land.

This festival is simply marked to last for a good nine (9) days in which five (5) days are for ritual making and the remaining four (4) days are for jollification/merry-making.

On the First Day, the ATTAH which simply means FATHER OF ALL/KING/ SPIRITUAL HEAD will offer sacrifices to his ancestors (nine in number) hence, nine goats are offered as a sacrifice.

On the second day, the ATTAH then offers Morsels of Pounded yam, locally brewed beer, and also kola nuts each to remember.

On the third day, the blood from the sacrificed goats will therefore be poured cleanly on the upper part of each of the OKWUTE which stands for MASQUERADE and then prayers are hence offered.

And on the fourth day, the spirit of the late Attah will be invoked by their names and then request of them to look after the present attah (Father of All) and his various subjects.

Therefore Once the days for the rituals are all over with, then comes the fifth day where all the people/villages are to gather in a place called the Ere Ane (Kings Place), then the ATEBO which stands for PRIETS OR TITTLE CHIEF then conveys the attah message to the people/villagers as told to him by the ATTAH.

Hence after this is done, then a visit is then paid by members of the royal lineage to the ATTAH'S palace early the next morning which is on the Sixth day.

Hence after all this is done, everybody then goes back to their various home and then the remaining three (3) days is used for merry-making, eating, drinking for the remaining days.

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I will therefore say, the above is therefore how this cultural festival is being done in my place. It is quite distinct to only the Igala people.

The reason why I enjoy this festival so much is:

• This simply gives us the chance to connect with our ancestors and also be able to communicate with them.

• As it is believed, the ancestors are the ones who control the yield of crops among others.

• The celebration of this festival usually brings all the family members together, even those who far do come back home for the celebration of this festival, so we get to meet family members, a lot of them.

• Among other things, I also enjoy this festival celebration for the amount of food that is in circulation at this period. The eating, the drinking, that festive period is always there you will notice that sense of togetherness, the love is always real, I will give anything to feel that again and again.

• Even the Masquerade is scarry, there are unique and signifies the existence of the culture and hence its growth.

I must say there is a very unique cultural celebration among the Igala people, and it is very unique to us and also so loveable.