Culture: ancestor visit (Egungun)

There is an instinct fear in everyone that once you see a masquerade your heart beats rapidly. My own experience was so funny whenever I remembered it I just can’t help myself laughing. I went to one of the popular market in my area with my mum and my sister back then. My mum was backing my sister and was holding my hand. Suddenly I saw some grown up men coming in front of us, they were all hold Cain. That didn’t move me because our school teachers use Cain in school. But all of a sudden I saw someone on colourful clothes in there mist holdings Cain also, with his face covered.

The next thing I saw was peoplele running away from them mostly men, I have withdrawn my hand from my mum and pick race as if it was me they were coming for. My mum started chasing me in other to hold me, so I won’t get myself injured. I finally managed to hid under a woman table use in selling her goods, my mum took me from there and warn me never to do such again, because I could get hurt. Don’t mind me I was just 5yrs of age then. My next experience I was a bit grown up 10yrs plus when I witness another form of masquerade from another tribe this really scared me so much that I took to my heel, the masquerade was holding a blunt cutlass and not Cain this time.

Why you have to run a time when you see them coming towards you is because most of the people wearing the masquerade are under the influences of alcohol.

Now a little description of masquerade, we call it Egungun this is so popular in our land and add a lot of cultural values to our ways of life. It is of the belief that when egungun comes out, it's our ancestors that visit and what we can use to entertain them is money. This is mostly common among the following ethnic groups Yoruba and Igbos, have never come across a masquerade from the Hausa’s or Fulani. They Don’t just come out for no reason, they only come out whenever there is

· Egungun festival

· Ritual purpose and cleansing of the land

· Coronation

There are Egungun in various form and purpose at hand,

ü  The once that entertain by dancing

ü  The once that blesses everyone mostly women that are barren

ü  The once that are use for cleansing the land, women and strangers are forbidden from seeing such Egungun

ü  The once that players with children

And so many other forms of Egungun. They will come out according to the event, or happening within their neighbourhood. The fun of it is when various form of Egungun gathered to display there power, dance and entertain their spectators. Some disappear to the top of the roof, some dances various dance, some also sings. Egungun dress in beautiful and attractive clothes. The last European Champions League final was colourful as some people when to sew masquerade clothes with Chelsea flags,

singing and dancing all around the neighbourhood. Whenever you’re privileged to visit Yoruba around April or November of every year, try and look out a masquerade festival and see for yourself how colourful it is.