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| Photo credit: Hassan Rofiat Omolara |
Byline: Hassan Rofiat Omolara.
JIGBO is a ritual performed at Bogije town at ibeju-lekki Local Government, Lagos, Nigeria. This ritual is done once a year and it is usually done in April.
On this day, all the entire members of Bogije & outside come together to celebrate their ancestors. The community elders, pregnant women, young and old gathered at the shrine to watch how the ritual is being performed.
Several food items are used for the ritual such as Alligator pepper(Ata Ijosin), Adun, Bitterkola(Orogbo), Sugarcane(Ireke), Kolanut(Obi), Duck(Pepeye), Ram(Agbo), and Cow(Maalu) will also be used.
Before they begin the ritual, an old woman who has reached menopause will cook maize and sprinkle it around houses near the shrine for a successful ritual.
After a couple of mins, the Iya Jigbo will come out with a pregnant woman to entertain everyone with traditional songs and dance steps after a joyful moment the Iya Jigbo will go inside with the pregnant woman to deliver her baby and it must welcome alive to prove how powerful the JIGBO MASQUERADE is.
After delivery either boy /girl the ram will be killed and used for soup meat and everyone will be served, Eba. Only the people who came to watch the ritual are meant to serve. It is forbidden for food to be taken out of the shrine. Only the priest who is in charge of the shrine and some elders within the village are entitled to take the meat home.
After this, the jigbo people will go from house to house, street to street to pray for both young and old, and also sprinkle the water of peace & blessing (OMI ERO ATI ITURA).
On the second day of the JIGBO festival which happens to be the "WORO DAY," all the females in town will come together to pick burnt firewood and take it to the river, after this is done, they are meant to go around the town several times before going back to their houses and stay indoors to avoid seeing the powerful JIGBO masquerade.
Everyone will be asked to stay indoors to avoid getting beaten by the masquerade. Only the elderly initiated men can look at the JIGBO Masquerade when they are moving and dancing around. No one dares touch the masquerade cloth except the priest.
Edited by: GBOLADE AKEEM ADEFOLARINWA.
Punish by: MONDIU SHERIFAT OLUWASEUN