As the year draws to a close, there’s a particular enthusiasm for festivities that characterize this season. Festive celebrations such as Christmas, newyear, and of course the bini’s special cultural festivals.
One of the special festivals celebrated by the bini’s is the Igue festival.The Igue festival is celebrated annually by every reigning Oba and all Benin citizens at home and abroad to mark the end of the Bini year and to usher in a new one with renewed hope for peace and prosperity. Cows, goats, fowls and other beasts are prodigiously slaughtered to appease the spirits of the departed Obas and the various gods of the people.
Celebrated in the last weeks of December, the Iguẹ festival is a set of of ceremonies, rituals and rites performed to purify and strengthen the king and the people in preparation for the New Year. It has been celebrated for more than 1000 years except in December 1897 when the British invasion interrupted it. The festival is composed of several ceremonies and ritual performances that include:
Aguẹ : This is a sacred period of fasting and seclusion observed by the king and his chiefs. During this time, they remain in strict isolation, adhering to a traditional prohibition against meeting with anyone. Additionally, customs dictate that funeral ceremonies and burials be postponed until after Aguẹ, as this period is reserved for gratitude and celebration
Ugie Irọn: Pronounced as eeron, It commemorates the battle fought against the restoration of monarchy in Benin, a re-enactment of the victory of the king over his adversaries and all opposition to the throne of his forefathers.
Ugie Erha’Ọba: This is a colourful and special ceremony during which homage is paid to the spirit of the departed Obas and all his ancestors during which the king dresses in coral regalia and performs a ritual dance with the Ẹbẹn (ceremonial sword) in honour of his father.
Iguẹ Ọba: a ceremony held at the Ugha Ọzolua (shrine dedicated to Ọba Ọzolua) where the king and his chiefs and other palace guilds pay homage to the memory of the warrior king. The highlight of this ceremony is the ritual purification and fortification of the king by the Ewaisẹ and the Otọn guilds (traditional priests) led by the Ogiefa N’Umuẹkpo. The ceremony climaxes with dance and the throwing of the Ẹbẹn by the king and his chiefs in order of seniority.
Igue Ivbiọba: This involves the celebration of Iguẹ by princes and princesses as well as other members of the extended royal families in their own homes.
Iguẹ Ẹdo Hia : the royal celebration is followed by the celebration of the entire Benin nation and includes sacrificial offerings and prayers for the new year as well as traditional fireworks display throughout the city and communities.
Ugie Ẹwerẹ: the concluding ceremony performed early in the morning. On this day, as early as five o’ clock in the morning, Youths; young men and women leave their homes to take part in the traditional cleansing of the land through fire works (ubirie) designed to chase out evil spirits from the town before the new year fully rolls in. They go to the outskirts of the city to bring traditional Ewere leaves, believed to be a symbol of good luck and prosperity. The Ewere leaves are subsequently given out as New Year gifts to everyone, who anoint their fore-heads with them.
The Igue Festival is a vibrant celebration of Edo culture and heritage, showcasing tradition, symbolism, and community spirit.
