I have been invited to attend the Durbar, a festival celebrating the end of Ramadan. This festival, one of three that will be held in the country will take place in Kano, a city 250 miles north of Abuja, on November 3. Photos and commentaries will be posted when I return. Read more about the Durbar...
The Durbar festival dates
back hundreds of years to the time when the Emirate (state) in the north used
horses in warfare. During this period, each town, district, and nobility
household was expected to contribute a regiment to the defense of the
Emirate.Once or twice a year, the Emirate military chiefs invited the various
regiments for a Durbar (military parade) for the Emir and his chiefs.
During the parade,
regiments would showcase their horsemanship, their preparedness for war, and
their loyalty to the Emirate. Today, Durbar has become a festival celebrated in
honor of visiting Heads of State and at the culmination of the two great
Muslim festivals, Id-el Fitri (commemorating the end of the holy month of
Ramadan) and Ide-el Kabir (commemorating Prophet Ibrahim sacrificing a ram
instead of his son).
The day begins with prayers
outside town, followed by processions of horsemen to the public square in
front of the Emir’s palace, where each village group, district, and noble house
take their assigned place. Last to arrive is the Emir and his splendid retinue;
they take up their place in front of the palace to receive the jahi, or homage,
of their subjects.
The festival begins with
each group racing across the square at full gallop, swords glinting in the sun.
They pass just few feet away from the Emir, then stop abruptly to salute him
with raised swords.
The last and most fierce
riders are the Emir’s household and regimental guards, the Dogari. After the
celebrations, the Emir and his chiefs retire to the palace, and enjoyment of
the occasion reigns. This fanfare is intensified by drumming, dancing and
singing, with small bands of Fulanis performing shadi, a fascinating sideshow
to behold.
Comments