Best of India Contest | My Favorite Festival by @tripplem. 10% payout to @bestofindia

Good day everyone and welcome to another wonderful contest by @bestofindia , where we are given the platform to talk about our culture/Tradition

INTRODUCTION

During my primary and secondary school days, I was taught that;

culture is the people’s way of life

And truth be told, that is an unquestionable fact. Many at times people tend to turn away from their culture, people tend to adopt other people’s culture, people tag their culture “idolatry” and all what not. They mistake idolatry, Christianity and culture. But be it as it may, your culture is your heritage, and your identity.
Our culture is not a taboo, it is not an offense, and we should be proud of it.

MY ORIGIN

My name is Meribe MaryMagdalene ogochukwu, I am from Umuokorie Amato in Amibo community, in Ubakala Umuahia south LGA Abia state Nigeria.

Ubakala consists of 13 villages that are now autonomous communities.
These villages include (in no particular order)
• Amibo
•Amuzu
•Abam
•Avodim
•Nsukwe
•Umuogo
•Eziama
•Mgbarakuma
•Umuosu
•Laguru
•Nsirimo
•Ipupe
•Uturu

Ubakala culture entails some specific cultural festivals which Iri ji, Ekpe, Okonko, ubochi Ubakala (Ubakala day)

But the cultural festival I will talk about is EKPE . I love Ekpe more than any other cultural festivals we perform in Ubakala because I dance till my legs can’t move.
NOTE all the pictures I used in this post, I got them from my community Facebook photo upload

EKPE

Ekpe is a cultural festival that have been practiced in Ubakala for decades of years even before my grandfather was born.
Ekpe is a recognized tradition in Ubakala where the different villages that makes up Ubakala independently celebrates their own and invites the neighboring villages to feature in theirs.

Ekpe is 2 day masquerade festival, where all the hamlets that makes up the celebrating community will provide one masquerade each for the festival. Meaning that each community in Ubakala selects two days of their choice in a particular month (mostly festive periods) where they fix a date for their display. So since I am from Amibo, I will talk about Ekpe Amibo.

Ekpe Amibo Ubakala is a 2 day masquerade festival held either late December or middle week of January (evening hours from 3- 11pm). It has no specific date but a specific period of time (festive period). 7 hamlets in Amibo (amato, Umuagu, umuokigbo, elu ugwu na ngwu ukwu, mbaiyi, umuigwe, and umuenyim) will Each provide a masquerade. Each masquerade has its own right hand man who takes instructions and also gives instruction to the masquerade.

The identity of the masquerade is NEVER revealed to the audience. Who ever will carry the mask (ekpo) will be isolated from humans 7days before the festival, he will not eat what others ate, he will not have any contact with a woman (if you know you know ☺️) for 7days before the festival.
On the festival day, All masquerades are coated with black and a Bell around their waist, with their masks known as ekpo on their heads. They also have very long cains which they don’t often use unless they are being provoked to use it.

Then, since it is a two day festival, each community divides its hamlet into two, one day of the festival will be celebrated by any location selected by one side of the hamlet while the last day will be celebrated At the other location selected by the other hamlet.
Therefore , one side of the divided hamlet will host the festival for the first day, while the other side of the divided hamlet will host the event for the second and final day.

Two weeks to the event, drum rehearsal starts, able youths go for rehearsals on hitting the drum, that is how we will know that Ekpe is around the corner. Three days to the event, they will do a peaceful awareness round the community. Where we invite neighboring communities to come participate or grace our Ekpe festival day.

On the days of the festival, the selected drummers will be in a one room built specially for the event, covered with fresh palm tree leaves where they hit the drum nonstop. For as long as the even is on. I know that can be switching at intervals though but the music from that room is non stop.

The festival is basically to showcase the masquerades of different clans of each communities and by the end of the festival the clan with the best masquerade goes home with the “Oke isi Ekpe” with a prize from the king.
The best masquerade returns the oke isi Ekpe next year as the tournament continues.

People from each clan accompany their masquerade with music to the main square for the festival. Instruments used for this music are, dried bamboo sticks, drum (ekpete) ichaka, udu and ogene to the main square for that particular day, when they arrive the square, their masquerade performs and showcases his ekpo and mancho…. As music goes on nonstop

Ladies/ women are to tie wrapper on any attire they are wearing (preferably trouser or anything that will allow you dance). Pregnant women are not allowed to see the masquerades but if you must see them, then you will have to take a piece of their clothing and rub on your stomach to prevent your child from having a deformed eye (half past 4 eye)

Targeted audience is around 300-500 or more because our location is very white and accommodating, friend from neighboring village or outside Ubakala are also welcomed but you trade with caution not to look for trouble and if you are a visitor and the final gong of 8pm rings please find your way and go home immediately you see the fire coming out from that room where music never stops. Because at that time it’s only indigenes that are safe for the festival.
Sharp objects and steel equipments are not allowed into the square, a task force is set to ensure that everything goes nice and peacefully.

I love this particular festival because it is filled with music, as for me oh, na dance I Dey go dance. I will just glue myself close that room with the unending music, and as per indigene wey I be, I’m not scared of anything, so I dance till I can dance no more then I go home.

More pictures

photo source

It is a long post though, even though I couldn’t say everything, but in believe you enjoyed your reading ride.

Thanks for reading.