Oba Of Benin Kingdom Celebrates Igue Festival

The Bini have a long lineage of royal dynasty, and the Igue festival is also an occasion to celebrate Ugie-Evhoba among many others. The festival marks the anniversary of the death of all past Oba of the Bini Kingdom. For seven days, propitiations are made to the spirits of all past Oba. This is done to invoke their blessings for the reigning monarch, his family and subjects.







The Igue Festival is also a period for offering thanks to the gods for sparing the lives of the Bini people, and to request for more blessings. Such rituals include offering sacrifices in some shrines in the palace. During this period, chieftaincy title holders display their Eben emblem in the Ugie dance as they appear in their traditional attire, as bestowed by the Oba on individual chiefs during the conferment of their titles. The Chiefs pay homage to the Oba while the Oba seats majestically in the royal chamber (Ogiukpo). Bini chiefs are seen during the festival, in their enviable traditional regalia, including the Iloi (Queens) in their Okuku (hairdo). It is a rare occasion of their public appearance, where the stalwarts (Ifietes) of the Oba are seen in active service. Traditional dancers such as Esakpaide, Ohogho and others, display the Eben of the chiefs while dancing and paying homage to the Oba in Ogiukpe at Ugha Oba or the chamber of the Oba.

Benin Chiefs Performing their traditional rites at the 2011 Igue Festival
The Chiefs bless the Oba in the presence of Chief Ihama and members of the various palace societies. At the end of all sacrifices, the chiefs also dance to the Oba and his family, with the Eben.

Every chief scheduled for Ugie dance leaves their home dancing, while being accompanied by their followers. They dress in the traditional regalia permitted by the Oba as granted to them on the day of conferment of their titles. No chief dresses in a manner or attire not bestowed by the Oba. As the chiefs move from their homes to the palace, they dance with two men each by their side among others holding their hands to and from the palace.

On the last day of the festival, that is, the seventh day, Chief Osuma of Benin collects the Ewere and then hands it over to the Ihogbe, who in turn hands Ebewere to the Oba in a dance procession and melodious traditional songs about Ewere.