Igue: The story of Benin’s age-long thanksgiving festival
With rich tradition on display, the Benin people offer sacrifices to God and ancestors for a good health and prosperity at Igue, the festival of leaves.
The Igue festival is a time where all the indigenes in Benin Kingdom offer sacrifice to God and the ancestors for being able to the end of the year and begin another in good health. The festival is an aged-long tradition that had transcended several Obas.
The Igue festival starts with Ughieroba rites where all the palace chiefs and functionaries paid homage to the Oba.
Other activities during the festival also include the UgieEmobo in which chiefs and palace functionaries will be in attendance at the Emobo to pay homage. This is followed by the Igue-ivbioba in which monarch’s descendants thank God and the ancestors for protection of the royal household and prosperity.
Igue Edohia is another activity where all the Benin people perform their individual worship in their various homes and this is closely followed by the Ugie Ewere in which all the people bring Ewere blessing to their home.
During this period every male adult and family heads had to make sacrifice to thank God and the ancestors as part of the tradition which is very important for all Benis.
This year’s Igue festival was kick-started by the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II with the observance of the Ugierhoba rites as part of the symbolism of the royal lineage. The Ugierhoba rite it was gathered, is a memorial anniversary of Oba’s ancestral fathers in which rites are used to propitiate to the spirits of the transited monarchs.
According to customs and traditions of the kingdom, the monarch used the Ugierhoba rite to offer sacrifice at the altar of his ancestors for divine protection, good health, prosperity and bountiful harvest ahead of the New Year. Thereafter, he dances round the sacrificial offerings at the Ugha-erhoba axis of the royal court yard with the eben to pay homage to the spirits of his ancestors.
During the festival, the revered monarch also performed the Emobo rites in continuation of the Igue festival at the entrance of the royal court yard in Benin.
Emobo rite is a memorial anniversary of the defeat of Arhuanran, the Duke of Udo by Oba Esigie in about 15041550AD after a long period of an epic battle of supremacy between the duo.
The Emobo ceremonial ritual is also meant to ward-off evil spirits and unwholesome activities from the land. The ceremony saw Chief Esogban, the Odionwere of Benin kingdom performed the opening of the ancient traditional dance of Emobo ritual.
Chief Esogban danced round the Ogbelaka royal drummers at the venue of the rite four times in accordance with the tradition of the land. At the end of each dance, the Esogban raises his right hand in an unalloyed homage to the monarch who is seated on the throne of his ancestors.
The Esogban concluded his dance with prayers to the ancestors at the Aro-Edion-Edo to ward-off all evil spirits from Edo land.
The week-long event climaxed with the performance of Ugieewere rites amidst fun-fare at the palace ground.
Ugie-Ewere is a ceremony of presenting the sacred Ewere leaves of blessing to the monarch.
The sacred Ewere leave, it was gathered, signifies peace, good luck, blessing, prosperity and bountiful harvest to the royal household, families in Benin kingdom and the state at large.
In accordance with the Benin tradition, Oba Ewuare received homages from chiefs of different categories, palace functionaries as well as various palace guilds.
In fact, the peak of the Ugie-Ewere ceremony is the presentation of Ewere leave to the Oba by the Ihogbe palace group led by Chief Ihama N’Ihogbe.
Daily Trust on Sunday reports that the festival which commenced with the Ughieroba will usually come to an end with a thanksgiving service by the monarch at Holy Aruosa Cathedral, the Benin national church of God.
A resident of Benin, Osasuwa Igbinova, said the Igue festival is important to all Benin people as it gives every member of the Kingdom the opportunity to pray and offer sacrifice to God and the ancestor for reaching year’s end and starting the New Year in good health also.