How do some village celebrate festive seasons

This is Avuvu, a community in Ikeduru local government of Imo state Nigeria. They celebrate their festive seasons in January. Every Eke market day in the first week of January is their festive day because they call it EKEALA. This is the day they display all kinds of masquerade.

What is special about Eke ala, and how did it start

EKEALA is the name of their masquerade. It started when their masquerade mask used to stay in the shrine of their great Dibia (native doctor) who protects the masquerade from being stolen. Each day the village have a special occasion, the head that wears the masquerade used to stay in the shrine for 2days before the day of the occasion so as to be fortified to wear the mask. The masquerade is been worn to attend other neighboring communities and villages festival such as nkwomeke yam festival, ama udara and Uboma Day. After the great Dibia died, another person took over and committed a crime that made the masquerade mask to disappear. It was on the first Eke day of first week of January 1974 that the masquerade mask returned to the Kings palace after the native doctor confessed and that was how Eke ala is been celebrated.

Ekeala of late, has become a big day of celebration that the boys of this village do come back from far cities to come and celebrate. On that day, the women don't go to farm because it is a taboo. And the boys of avuvu used to wear black clothes with machete to accompany their masquerade in the celebration of Ekeala

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