An Overview of Festivals in Anioma

 

An Overview of Festivals in Anioma

By Dr. Emeka Esogbue

The Anioma area in Delta State enjoys a number of festivals periodically celebrated by the people. This overview of festivals celebrated by the people will enable you to understand the festival as well as the people who celebrate them. Some of the festivals are listed below:

 

Iwaji (New Yam) Festival

New Yam festival also called ‘Iwa-ji’ is an annual festival widely celebrated in Anioma. The festival is one in which gratitude is offered the gods or deities for a fruitful year. The reason for celebrating the festival is understandable since yam provides the people reliable food. Iwaji Festival is mostly celebrated in September to mark the end of fruitful harvest by the people. It is by far the most widely celebrated festival by the Anioma people as it is observed by nearly all the communities that make up the region. In Illah community, the commencement of the festival is signified by ‘Ika nmor’ by the Iyese of the community. For the Omu of Anioma in particular, the New Yam Festival is Ottite Festival.

Ife Ji Oku or Fejoku

This is a festival widely celebrated in Aniomaland. It precedes the Iwaji Festival which is New Yam Festival. In Ibusa it is celebrated in August. This is the period traditional wrestling is exhibited. In Akwukwu-Igbo, the Odafe of Akwukwu-Igbo is a principal character in the festival because of his priesthood of Fejoku. Fejoku, the god of agriculture is venerated because of his benevolence in providing a fruitful farming for the year.

Irua Nmor

This festival is mostly celebrated in Umunede and has the spiritual purpose of appeasing the ancestors for the protection of the communities involved. This festival as celebrated in Umunede is to ward-off known and unknown evils in the town. Sacrifices are mostly offered to the god of iron. Owowo dance is usually performed with flogging and wrestling. It is celebrated between September and October.   

Olia Oma Festival

Olia Oma Festival is unique in that it is celebrated to mark the importance of mothers by their children. It is akin to Mothers’ Day and comes with sacrifices offered to the dead mothers by their children after the harvest. This festival is colourful in nature.

Igue or Igwe Festival

Igue is one of the festivals mostly celebrated by Ika and Yoruba (Olukumi) people of Anioma. The celebration of Igue was borrowed from Benin and for the Benin and may have first been celebrated in the time of Oba Ewuare around the 14^th century. It is also celebrated by Ishan communities in Edo State. In Anioma, the festival is celebrated by communities that mostly claim Benin origin. With Igue, these communities’ find opportunity to express gratitude to God for the protection granted the community. In most communities that celebrate the festival, it involves the invasion of forests where palm-fronds are plucked symbolizing the tying of evil spirits, this is followed with the chanting of ‘evil spirits leave the town’ because it is now protected by God. It is lavishly protected with eating and drinking. Igue festival is most remembered as the festival that prevented Consul Philip and his British expedition from meeting with Oba of Benin which then resulted in the invasion of the city by the British. It is the best known festival in Benin. Ubulubu is one of the Anioma communities that celebrates the festival. Igwe Festival is mostly celebrated in Ika towns of Umunede and Owa especially. In Umunede, it may be customarily celebrated after the clearing of the bush especially in farms that are new. In Owa Kingdom, the festival is celebrated in honour of the adventurous warrior who was the king and founder of Owa Kingdom. During this festival, masks are made; mock coffins are also showcased with playing of mock oracle and cleansing of the land. This is known as “Ilu-Ubiri”. That of Owa Kingdom is celebrated in February. This festival is also celebrated by Ubulubu, an Aniocha community.

Ika Uwu Festival

This festival is also celebrated in Anioma. Obomkpa is best known for celebrating the festival.

Irua Fajeoku

This is similar to what is called Ifejioku in some parts of Aniomaland. It is usually celebrated at the eve of New Yam Festival. In Umunede, it is celebrated on Nkwo Day. This festival as celebrated in Umunede is to ward-off known and unknown evils in the town and sacrifices are mostly offered to the god of iron. Owowo dance is performed with flogging and wrestling. It is celebrated between September and October.  

Ikenge Festival

This festival is commonly celebrated by Utagba-Uno community in Ndokwa West Local Government Area of the state. It is a sort of festival celebrated in honour of the warriors that defended the community against their aggressors and involves the warriors of the community dancing with well sharpened cutlasses and guns. Highlight of the festival is the war dance which is usually performed at the Eke Square by group of warriors representing their quarters of the community. Each group is led by Eze-Uwai.

Aja Festival

Aja Festival is common to the people of Asaba. It entails making sacrifices to the god of fertility for harvest.

Ogbanigbe Festival

Ogbanigbe is an annual festival celebrated in Ika areas. Obior Kingdom, an agrarian community is one of these communities. The festival is traditionally believed to owe its origin to cessation of wars and series of skirmishes involving the community and Benin crown after Ezechime (Ovbi Ikhimien) left Benin. It begins with the ritual mock clearing of the path leading to Benin. The purpose of the festival is to thank the god of fertility for the abundant growth of yam for the season. It is also celebrated by Owerre-Olubor community located in Ika North-East Local Government Area of the state. According to Frank Monye, Ogbanigbe Festival as celebrated in Owerre-Olubor is a cultural fiesta that may have started towards the end of the 19^th century and owes its origin to Ekumeku and other wars linked to slave trade. The festival was therefore instituted to celebrate the cessation of these wars in the community. In Owerre-Olubor, it is celebrated after Iwaji which is the New Yam Festival. Ogbanigbe Festival of Obior is synonymous with “Obior rice” as a delicacy for entertaining visitors particularly from nearby communities. The Ukwu-Nzu is one of the one communities that celebrate the festival. After close to one decade of non-celebration of the festival due to squabbles in the community, the community celebrated it again in 2012. The people of the community were thrilled to a tantalizing ceremony as the event happened. It was also a moment of re-union as indigenes at home and in the Diaspora gathered at the palace of the traditional ruler of the Kingdom.The same festival was celebrated in the same year by Onicha-Ugbo Kingdom on October 6, 2012. This time, it was HRM Obi Victor Chukwumalieze, the traditional ruler of the Ezechime Kingdom that recalled that the festival reminded the community of their encounter with Benin attackers. The community’s big names like Hon Ndudi Elumelu, Sunny Ofili and Ikechukwu Uwagwu joined the celebration.

Ichu Ulor Festival

Ulor Festival is one of the commonest festivals celebrated by the Anioma People. The purpose of which is to ward-off evil spirits in the communities in which they are celebrated.  The Umueze Quarters of Ibusa are noted for the celebration of Ulor. The 2020 edition of the festival was reported to be glamorous, fanfare and elaborate. Ago Igbuzo, the community’s newspaper had reported that the festival had the capacity to attract tourists and huge earnings for the community with the usual large spectators from far and wide that converge to watch the event. However, this has not proven to be so³. The festival is celebrated close to the end of farming season. The Principal characters for Umueze Ulor are Eze Ulor and Onowu Iwenor is the present Onihe Ulor of Umueze. Ulor is also celebrated by Umuekea, Umuidinaisagba, Ezukwu and Ogboli Quarters of the Ibusa community.

Egu Afa Festival

Egu Afa Festival is one festival that is celebrated by the Obomkpa people of Anioma for purification, cleansing of the land and for warding off evil spirits. War songs are rendered with chiefs paying tributes to their ancestors. It is celebrated in the month of February.

(Ichu) Ekwensu

This is another festival celebrated by the Anioma people. In Asaba, it may be performed with war-dance while in Ibusa it is celebrated by Ezukwu/Achalla (Anyallaobum) Quarter of the town.

Olu Festival

Olu Festival is celebrated by Anioma people; chiefly by Ebu. Among the Ebu people Ekpechor are believed to have started the festival later followed by Uchebe, Okemokwuru, Ugbolo and Agbanike. It is celebrated with war dance.   

Ukwata Festival

This festival is celebrated by only a few of Anioma communities that include Abbi. It resembles the New Year festivity and requires offer of sacrifices to the ancestral gods of the clan. During the festival, a live eagle tied to a stool is carried on the head of each of the special Ukwata dancers. Gifts are exchanged. Its cultural relevance is not lost on the people’s thought.

Emu community gives one an idea of the Ukwata Festival is celebrated by the people of Anioma. Omania Magazine, in one of its articles titled “Ukwata Festival in Emu, Ukwuaniland”, reported that:

Úkwata is a native New Yam Festival preceding the beginning of a new farming season in Emu. It is proclaimed by their Okpala-Uku on any Eke Uku (native market day) in February of every year. On the advice of the Onotu-Uku-in-Council after consultation with the Out Olile age group. Ukwata is a social religious event in the sense that it has two aspects – social and religious. The social aspect of the festival begins from the day proclamation, with the daily song parade (ogene) of young boys and girls of the village.”

For the people, there are different occasions of the festival such as Agha Ukwata, whih comes with war mock songs, Nkwo Nde Ebiai, which happens on Nkwo day. That day is dedicated to receiving visitors who come to celebrate with them. Eke Ukwata is on Eke day and is seen to be the real Ukwata day. Ipu Olile has never been witnessed again since 1972 when it was last observed. The festival ends after seven days of observation.

Ukwata is seen to be one beautiful festivals of the Anioma people as happily celebrated by the Ndokwa and Ukwuani subgroups.

Ine Festival

Ine Festival is celebrated in several parts of Anioma. It is a sort of thanksgiving in which gratitude is offered to god for preserving the lives of indigenes. The festival may mark the end of farming season. It is celebrated in Ogwashi-Uku, Ubulu-Okiti, Akwukwu-Igbo, Ibusa, Asaba and Issele-Uku among others. The Asaba people use the festival to mark their various victories in wars in the olden times. In this town, the festival is usually celebrated in October and features music and dance performed round the town. This is known as ‘Igbu-Agbo’. That of Ogwashi-Uku is celebrated between September and October for the peace and unity of the town, marked by the paying of tribute to the Obi of the town. In Akwukwu-Igbo, the festival aims at purifying the land leaving sound moral transformation among the people of the town. Perceived social culprits are also vilified with offensive songs that tend to discipline their attitudes with songs sang round the streets of the town. Ibusa does not have a common period for celebrating the festival as different quarters of the town celebrate it at different times. Ine in Ibusa is used to venerate the spirit of the dead particularly those who passed away within the past one year. This is why the home of the dead person is visited by the procession with music, dancing and dirge songs for the dead. Offering is then made either with goat but more often a chicken as a sacrifice to lead the spirit away from his earthly abode to rest in the land of the spirits. For Issele-Uku, the September 22, 2012 edition of the festival as reported by Anioma Trust Newspaper was peaceful with lots of colouration. The Ogbe-Ofu Village was in their superlative form as they sang songs of war to usher in the Omeogor of Issele-Uku, Chief Innocent Ikpeamanam Nwakpati for the “Ina Aka”. The Anasi Obi, Omus, Onotus Chiefs, palace Chiefs were all present⁴. The Ine Festival in Issele-Uku requires the Obi of the community to go into what is called “Inor Nzu” where he would remain for about 4 days often surrounded by Umuobi, palace and traditional chiefs, indigenes of the community and sometimes visitors.It is at the end of Inor Nzu that the festival, something like grand finale is celebrated. This celebration witnesses spirited show of music and dance in which everyone participates in. the September 11 edition of the festival witnessed a large turn-out of participants especially the youths who were seen dancing and celebrating along major roads of the community. Traditional chiefs from the community were also seen entertaining their loved ones in their own houses.

Ogwu Festival

This is a festival common to the people of Ebu. It is celebrated with funfair by the old and young indigenes of the town. It is a satirical festival often celebrated for nine days in which young in the town are at liberty to say things that are morally wrong without rebuke from elderly persons. During the festival, evil people in the society are satirized.

Eburuma Festival

Eburuma Festival is celebrated with funfair by the Ika people of Igbanke. It is one of the most popular festivals of the people. It is a festival often looked forward to by indigenes of the community.

Iyi-Oji Festival 

Iyi-Oji is another festival celebrated by some Anioma communities notably Beneku in Ndokwa East. This festival is regarded as a small god that offers adherents victory in battles. The god is believed to give and take life, a reason it is held supreme and sacred by worshipers. The protagonist of Iyi-Oji rites is Okpala-Uku who is the head of the family by reason of being the oldest male in that community.

Ishe Festival

This festival is usually celebrated with funfair and pageantry for peace, progress and preservation of the town by Ewulu, located in Aniocha South Local Government Area. It’s hosted by Umomi (Omiamoo) Lake for the peace and progress of the people of the town with dancing and jubilation for the survival of the old market. During the festival songs are composed to ridicule evil people in the society. The introduction of this festival was said to have been made by Ayo from the Umuayo Quarter of the town and was largely celebrated by members of the quarter until its popularity sold it the larger Ewulu community.

Akpa Festival

Akpa Festival is commonly celebrated by some Anioma communities mostly of Ika stock among which is Igbanke in Edo State.

Osiezi

This festival is commonly celebrated by Agbor and aims at emphasizing the glory of Agbor crown being the ancient Dein monarchy.

Oje Festival

This festival is celebrated in honour of Oje and Eushi, the gods of blessing by the people of Aboh. These masquerades thrill the audience. Eushi’s dance in a canoe on the lake is the climax of the festival.

Idu Olu

Idu Olu is a one-day annual festival mostly celebrated in Onicha-Olona. It usually involves the warriors of the town from the quarters that make up the town display their valour and strength. During the festival, celebration is taken to the village square where warriors of the town display their skills and valour for war as was done in ancient times. The festival offers every family the opportunity to settle their disputes.

Ogwashi-Uku Cultural Carnival

The Ogwashi-Uku Cultural Carnival was initiated by Mrs. Antonia Oguah who is also the President. The carnival is helping to resurrect the culture of the Anioma people that has been relegated to the background. The Anioma TrustNewspaper reported that the 2012 edition of the Carnival added different spices as it was segmented into street dance andEgwu Obia. The edition also witnessed different troupes from both within and outside Anioma performing at the occasion. One of such groups outside the Anioma area was the Ikelike Troupe from Irhua in Esan. There were other groups that included Egwu Anioma Troup from Owa-Alero, Egwu Aja from Aja from Abu-Unor Primary School, Ogwashi-Uku. The edition recorded the Ndi Ohene whose weird form of dance for the first time added colour to the event.

Mgba, the Traditional Wrestling

Mgba, art of traditional wrestling, inherited from Igbo, East of the Niger is as old as some Anioma communities, if not older. It is hence, a cultural heritage from the founders of the communities where practiced. The history of origin of Mgba is tied to the legend of some of the communities as a major reason for leaving their ancestral homesteads and Ibusa is one of these communities. The legend of the Ibusa community claims that Umejei committed “ochu”, (murder) when he mistakenly killed Agbadike, his opponent in a friendly wrestling in Mosaic Isu where murder was punishable by death⁵.

The sentence was commuted by his father, the Eze Isu who prepared a pot of charm for him with the instruction to carry it on his head and settle wherever the pot dropped. The pot was to drop at Ani Oshe, the present site of Ibusa where he consequently settled with his group of migrants. The celebration of traditional wrestling is retained in the community till date where it is still practiced. Although the practice started to die gradually in the community, in recent times, the youths of Ibusa have worked hard to introduce colour to it.

In the community, the first Mgba is held at the conclusion of Ifejiokwu, which after the Ndi Eze have performed their own. Thereafter, the second edition holds the following day, following the performance of the Ifejiokwu of Ndi Mkpalor while the grand-finale is celebrated after the Ifejiokwu of Mgbankpisi as illustrated by BBC Igbo that covered the 2018 edition, circulated on social media and cited in Agogo Igbuzo. The venue of the Mgba are Nkpanyala, Umueze and Umuidinasagba respectively.

The essence of Mgba also expresses the following significance:

·       The test of strength between two warriors

·       Held between two farmers whose harvest of the year were great

·       Settlement of disputes between two warriors

·       in the past, mgba also won warriors wives

 

Today, the Organization For the Advancement of Anioma Culture stands as the Anioma group that promotes traditional wresting in the region with her annual Anioma Cultural Festival.

 

Iwu Festival

The Iwu Festival is celebrated in Ogwashi-Uku, Ibusa, Ubulu-Uku, Ubulu-Unor and Illah. In Ogwashi-Uku from where the Umuodafe axis of Ibusa imported it, it is celebrated in August. In Ibusa, it is celebrated in November by Ogbeowele and December by Umuodafe. The principal characters are Ohene, Enem and Eze Iwu. the festival is what Pen Master has described as "Dance Festival" because of the music and dance involved in the festival. Iwu Festival is maybe practically about music and dance in the public, mostly involving the use of 'agogo' local instrument. The essence of the festival is cleansing of the community for the coming harvest and gratitude to the gods for a bountiful harvest.