Users' questions

What is Ekpe festival?

What is Ekpe festival?

Ekpe festival is a cultural festival organized by different Ikwuano communities to mark the end of the farming season and the beginning of a new one. This paper examined the social, political, economic and religious significance of these festivals and the effect of modernization on them.

How is the Ekpe festival celebrated?

The Ekpe festival has existed for millenniums and which involves so many kinds of Ekpe masquerades performing different kinds of cultural dance. Here male and female (old and young) dress in their cultural attire, the male must tie a piece of George (wrapper) to make up for the cultural attire.

What are the festivals in Abia State?

Iwaji Festival The most significant festival in Abia State is the annual New Yam Festival (also known as Iwaji) celebrated in thanksgiving to the gods for a good harvest. It is usually held at the end of the rainy season in early August.

How do you describe a cultural festival?

A festival featuring arts and events specific to a particular culture, especially one celebrating and promoting that culture in a wider public context; (also more generally) an arts festival.

What is the meaning of Ekpe?

mysterious spirit
Ekpe is a mysterious spirit who is supposed to live in the jungle and to preside at the ceremonies of the society. Members of the Ekpe society are said to act as messengers of the ancestors (ikan). The society combines a kind of freemasonry with political and law enforcing aims.

What is the meaning of Ekpe in English?

Ekpe is the word for “Leopard” in both Efik and Ibibio, the society’s name derived from the common belief that the “invisible forest spirit” worshiped by the society took the form of leopard in its interactions with humans.

What are some traditional Igbo holidays?

The Igbo celebrate the major national holidays of Nigeria, including New Year’s Day (January 1), Easter (March or April), Nigerian Independence Day (October 1), and Christmas (December 24 to 26). In addition, each town has its own local festivals.

Why are cultural festivals important?

Festivals are an expressive way to celebrate glorious heritage, culture and traditions. They are meant to rejoice special moments and emotions in our lives with our loved ones. They play an important role to add structure to our social lives, and connect us with our families and backgrounds.

What is Ekpe masquerade?

Ekpe Efik was used as a government instrument in Bakassi in exercising authority for more than 200 years ago [4]. Ekpe masquerade mimic the form of a lion or leopard moves. Members of the Ekpe society are said to act as messengers of the ancestors (ikan), members are bound by oaths of secrecy.

Where are the Efik found?

Nigeria
Efik, people inhabiting the lower Cross River in Cross River state, Nigeria. Their language is the main dialect and language of the Efik-Ibibio group of the Benue-Congo branch of Niger-Congo languages. It is widely spoken as a lingua franca throughout the Cross River region.

Is ibibio a language?

Ibibio, people of southeastern Nigeria, mainly in the Cross River state. They speak dialects of Efik-Ibibio, a language now grouped within the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family.