What is the purpose of Egungun ceremonies?

The most widespread masquerade is the egungun of the Yoruba. Like all masquerades, the egungun is a multimedia performance designed to honor the dead, and a wide variety of masks and costumes are used to communicate with ancestral spirits. Ceremonies do not have a standardized format.

What happens in the Yoruban Egungun festival?

The Egungun is a secret society among the Yoruba people of Ede, Oyo State, Nigeria. The major Egungun festival takes place in June, when members of the society come to the market place and perform masked dances. The masks they wear represent ancestral spirits and may cover the whole body or just the face.

What is Egungun in Yoruba?

Egungun, a deity with a colourful dress, is one of the greatest divinities in Yoruba land. It refers to all types of Yoruba masquerades or masked, costumed figures. Specifically, it refers to the Yoruba masquerades connected with ancestral reverence, or to the ancestors themselves as a collective force.

What is the purpose of spilling blood on the masquerade costumes?

Usually, blood is spilled on them to retain their potency. Among the ‘egungun agba’ (elder masquerades), the costumes are worshipped in order to retain their power.

Are EGUN Yorubas?

According to Falola, the Egun are an ethnic subgroup of the Yoruba (n.d). Falola states that “the Yoruba numbering over 20 million, are the second largest language group in Nigeria and one of the most populous and better-known African ethnic groups.

Is egungun a religion?

Egungun is a part of the Yoruba pantheon of divinities. The Yoruba religious system is sometimes referred to as the ‘Yoruba Religion’ or simply ‘Orisa Veneration’. In the tradition of ancestor veneration, Egungun represents the “collective”.

Is Egungun a religion?

What does Egungun mean?

powers concealed
Egungun, meaning “powers concealed” or “dry bones (of ancestors),” is a Yoruba (South Western Nigeria) masquerade that provides an important connection between the worlds of the living and the dead.

What is the language of Egun people?

Although the people belong to the Yoruba tribe of Southwest Nigeria, they speak a distinct language from the main Yoruba spoken in its land. They have varieties of dialects which include Thevi, Xwela, Seto and Toli. Gun is the main language spoken by the indigenes.

What does EGUN mean?

Egun (plural Egungun) A member of the Yoruba people who performs a masquerade as an ancestor.

What is the purpose of the Egungun costume?

Only the best materials are used for the costume as the costume is to include “potent empowering materials” (Egungun Masquerade). The purpose of the egungun masquerade to have those from heaven come down and bless the living, hear grievances, and give them general prosperity as well (Aremu 6).

Why do the Yoruba celebrate the Egungun festival?

Egungun Festival is a festival amongst Yoruba people, which is celebrated annually and has been passed successively down to generations. It is believed to help develop trade and commerce and generally bonds the people of Yorubaland together regardless of their religious beliefs.

Who is the leader of the Egungun festival?

Some are more nationally known while others may be only venerated according to localized custom. The Egungun is a secret society among the Yoruba people of Nigeria. A hereditary chief called the Alagba heads the society, which celebrates its most important festival in June.

What is the Egungun in death and a funeral?

The egungun in the play showcases the religious nature of the Yoruba people. The egungun is a visible representation of spirits or ancestors (Egungun Masquerade). It is made up of many different materials like cloth, beads, and shells (Egungun Masquerade).