Story Time -Celebration of Ekpe festival in my hometown// 10% to the community.

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Hello Friends, today I'm happy to enroll into the story telling period of our community program and I wish to throw some light to the cultural exertion of my hometown for our perusal.

I've loved talking more of fictional stories but today is quite different as what I'm coming up with is really a real yearly ceremony in my hometown.

I came from a locality called Obugwu in Ariam Usaka community, a village located South of the State of Abia. We have a well known cultural ceremony held every January and it is called "Ekpe festival".

This ceremony is held to celebrate a launch into the new year and according to tradition, it is done to appreciate the gods of the land for keeping the people from obstacles of the previous year.

Before the main date of this ceremony, the elders of the land normally go to the downtown of my community to make some sacrifices against the main date of the event.

On the date of the ceremony, the elders will use palm fronds to create a circle at the village square where a blood sacrifice will be carried out.

In the morning of the d day, Young men and women from my community will play different kinds of local drums that produce distinct sounds and they will go round the sixteen villages that made up my locality as they play with their Georgian wrapper which is the dress code for the day and woven cap called Okpu Ogwuruwu which most men do put on their head.

After the chantful tour, the Young men will return to the village square to have some rest as to prepare for the major event in the evening.

In the evening time, there will be different gong and local drum sounds that will be played and at the heat of the play, the local ground gun called Ntu-ala will be shot severally into space and a masquerade will be led out to dance and entertain the people for his first appearance.

Although this is more playful but not without spiritual significance. While the masquerade comes out and dances for the first time, he will be led in to rest as to prepare for the final show which is when the sacrifice will be carried out.

At the second appearance of the masquerade, the local ground gun will be shot again as the masquerade marches out to the village Square and dances for the last time.

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After the playful dance by the masquerade at his second and final appearance, the person guiding the masquerade then takes him to the circle constructed with palm fronds where he will be slaughtering the goat maint for the sacrifice and at this point, there will be absolute tranquility in the village square as for the masquerade to offer the sacrifice.

Nevertheless, he has to make the sacrifice by cutting off the goat head using a machete strike.
As everyone in the village square keeps calm, the masquerade assistant then distances himself from the him while an elderly person hands over a consecrated matchet to the masked man in order to cut off the goat's head for the sacrifice.

Nevertheless, once the masquerade chops off the goat's head in a matchet strick, there will be celebration everywhere in the village and another local ground gun will be shot non intermittently for the last time while everyone dances but on the other hand, if the masked man couldn't cut the goat's head in a matchet strike, he will be beaten possibly to death as a penalty.

Conclusion

The narration above is exactly how my village Ekpe festival is being conducted and this has been one of the ceremonies that is celebrated in my hometown ever since it's existence till date, moreso it is still held on the first month of every year and would still hold by next year if Christ tarries.
Thanks for checking on my hometown's cultural event as constructed by me but a real story, bye and see you next week for another story time smiles 🙋.

Special invitation: @talktofaith @ruthgold @kingworldline @bukkyi4u @gabikay @samuelj