IGUE Festival is one of the ways the people of the great Benin Kingdom and the paramount king in the land known as Oba annually appease their ancestors who have guarded them throughout the year.
This heroic and age-long Benin festival which is usually done during the end of every year attracts foreigners who are interested in the ancient Benin Empire.
Secretary of Benin Traditional Council, BTC Irabor Frank who spoke on behalf of the Oba in an interview described Igue as one of the festivals in ‘Ugie’ which encompasses all the festivals celebrated in the yearly Benin Calendar.
The palace scribe also hinted that all the festivals have their significance and dates of celebration, which include Otue Ugierhoba where all chiefs go to the palace to pay homage to the Oba, Igue Edohia, the day all Benin sons and daughters, irrespective of religious affiliations perform their worship and thank their God through the appeasing of the ancestors as well as celebration of the outgoing year, while the Ugie Ewere depicts good wishes and blessings to all homes where a special kind of the leaves gotten from the bush is given to all. The sticks are used to sweep the compound early morning, signifying that we are sweeping away our sorrows, pains and misfortunes as we approach a new year”, he said.
One the issue of rituals, Mr. Irabor reasoned that the Igue festival is part of Benin tradition where sacrifice must be made in one form or another as done in other religion. “To thank or appease your God, you make sacrifice of using olive oil to anoint or bless members, same way we slaughter animals in the public before we eat it. I can subscribe to it as rituals of interior motives when it is done in secrecy but when done in the open, it is legitimate like the one our Oba does”, he explained.
The BTC Secretary also highlighted that during the festival, special prayers made by chiefs or priests are for the peace of the country, the home state, all government officials as well as progress in the land.
The Oba spokesman said the Ugie festival which is the parent body of all festivals in the Benin Kingdom is a combination of different events by different Obas of the Benin Empire.
He specifically narrated that all the kingdoms, chiefdoms and dukedoms that make up the empire usually bring gifts of different kinds to the Oba during Otue Ugierhoba, meaning paying of homage to the Oba is now restricted to the Benin Chiefs.
The Benin Traditional council Secretary further said the Igue Festival was celebrated in other lands that made the defunct Benin Empire, but with the ever invasive Western culture and educated elites, the festival is observed in few parts of Nigeria and some Western nation where the Oba usually sends representatives to monitor and supervise the rituals.
The BTC Scribe further advice all whose spirit is in tune with the practice to join the Oba and other Benin sons and daughters as well as several foreigners to celebrate this year’s festival schedule to commence soon.
He also frowned at people that fail to desist from spelling the Benin as ‘Bini’ which was introduced by some colonial masters and educated native.
By: Odion Mark Erabor, Fresh Angle Newspaper Benin City Correspondent
Copyright: Fresh Angle International (www.freshangleng.com)
ISSN 2354 - 4104
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