Igue festival

{{Short description|Festival in Nigeria by the Binis}} {{Use Nigerian English|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox recurring event | name = Igue festival | nickname = King's Festival | image = Igue Festival (Chiefs and the Ọba).jpg | caption = Igue Festival (Chiefs and the Ọba) | status = Active | genre = Festivals | date = December | begins = 1440 | frequency = Annually | location = Edo State | country = Nigeria }}

'''Igue festival''' (also known as ''' King's Festival''') is a celebration with its origin in the [[Benin Kingdom]] of [[Edo State]], southern [[Nigeria]].<ref name="Ryder1981">{{cite book|last=Ryder|first=A.F.C.|title=General History of Africa: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century|year=1981|publisher=UNESCO|location=Paris|pages=339–370|editor=D.T. Niane}}</ref> One tradition states that the festival date coincided with the marriage of [[Ewuare]] to a wife named Ewere.<ref name="Egharevba1960">{{cite book|last=Egharevba|first=Jacob|title=A Short History of Benin|year=1960|publisher=Ibadan University Press|location=Ibadan}}</ref> Celebrated between Christmas and New Year, the festival includes the Oba's blessing of the land and his people.The Igue festival also honors the memory of former Obas and spans a period of seven days.<ref name=":0" /> During the Igue ritual season, the Oba is prohibited from being in the presence of any non-native person.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title=Igue Festival: A unique Benin celebration|url=https://dailytrust.com/igue-festival-a-unique-benin-celebration|access-date=2021-08-30|newspaper=[[Daily Trust]]|date=17 March 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

== History ==

[[File:Igue Festival The Kings men.jpg|thumb|Chiefs during Igue]]

The Igue Festival was initiated in the 14th century during the reign of Oba Ewuare I, who reigned in Benin between 1440 and 1473.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Vanguard News |url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=2023-01-25 |newspaper=[[Vanguard (Nigeria)|Vanguard]]|language=en-GB}}</ref> Following Oba Ewuare I's experience whilst fighting as a prince for the Benin throne, he was known as Prince Ogun, the son of Oba Ohen at that time.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=2018-01-28|title=There' nothing fetish about Igue Festival — Chief David Edebiri|url=https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/there-nothing-fetish-about-igue-festival-chief-david-edebiri/|location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=2021-08-31|newspaper=[[The Guardian (Nigeria)|The Guardian]]|language=en-US}}</ref>

The Igue festival, however, now consists of several other festivals put together by [[Akenzua II|Oba Akenzua II.]] This is because he wanted the festival to last for a couple of days due to the current movement of people and the Igue festival has become a terminal for many other festivals celebrated by the Benin people.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last1=Osahue|first1=Stevenson|last2=Omoera|date=2008-12-01|title=Igue Ceremony as a Theatrical Performance: An Appraisal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/215711068|department=Department of Theatre and Media Arts, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria|journal=Kamla-Raj 2008|language=en|volume=Studies of Tribes and Tribals 6(2)|issue=2|pages=111–115|doi=10.1080/0972639X.2008.11886584|s2cid=194787661}}</ref>

==References== <references />

== External links == * [https://oldnaija.wordpress.com/2015/07/19/igue-festival/ The Igue Festival - Edo’s colourful festival] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250125182031/https://oldnaija.wordpress.com/2015/07/19/igue-festival/ |date=2025-01-25 }}

[[Category:Festivals in Nigeria]] [[Category:Edo State]] [[Category:Cultural festivals in Nigeria]]