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Durbar festival

Annual festival in northern Nigeria

Field	Value
name	Gani Durbar festival
language	Hausa
meaning	Local Wrestling
region	Northern Region, Nigeria
image	Durbar.jpg
caption	Horseman at Kano Durbar (2006)

name=Gani Durbar festival |}}

Durbar is performed in several northern cities of Nigeria, which include the original ancient Hausa Emirates are such as Kano, Katsina, Lafia, Gombe, Akko Emirate, Sokoto, Zazzau, Bauchi, Bida, and Ilorin. The festival is usually celebrated by these Emirates city following the end of Ramadan and also coincides with the Muslim festivities of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitri.

It begins with prayers at dawn, followed by a colourful mounted parade of the Emir and his retinue of horsemen, musicians, and artillerymen. At the Durbar festivals noblemen travel to pay homage to the Emir and reaffirm their loyalty to their various emirates.

The festival dates back to over 200 years ago when horses were first used in warfare in Kano, the largest city in Northern Nigeria and former capital of the Kingdom of Kano. The Kano durbar festival is a four-day extravaganza of opulence, horsemanship, and street parades.

History

Pre-colonial era

The Jahi race is the Durbar's centrepiece and the Hawan Daushe's final item on the programme. Several horse riders in the emirate charge full speed towards the emir, then abruptly stop when they approach him and wave their sword or flag before exiting. The Emir and his entourage ride through a number of quarters housing historically significant families before returning to the palace via the Kofar Kudu gate for the Jahi - the horsemen's salute. The Palace guards march into position after the Jahi and fire several gunshots into the air, signaling the end of the Hawan Daushe Durbar.

Hawan Sallah – the Festival Riding, followed by Hawan Daushe, Hawan Nassarawa, and Hawan Doriya. The most fascinating and impressive aspect of the Durbar celebration is the Hawan Daushe, which also includes the "Jahi", which attracts viewers from all over the world.

The Hawan Daushe began as the Emir and his entourage ride out of Gidan Rumfa – the Emir's Palace, past Kofar Kwaru to Babban Daki – the palace of the Queen Mother, where he pays tribute to his mother.

In December 2024, the festival was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible cultural heritage.

References

Temi, Emidun. (8 September 2019). "Exploring The Wonders Of Ilorin Durbar Festival".
Jimi. (2024-06-12). "Ilorin Durbar targets local, foreign investors for economic boost".
"A 100-Year-Old Festival of Horse Riding".
Tukur, Sani. (8 July 2016). "In Kano, a thrilling display of ancient Durbar festival and also used to mark Eid el Fitr".
"Kano Durbar Festival: Nigeria's Most Spectacular Horseparade".
(6 December 2024). "Eid festivities in north Nigeria make UNESCO heritage list". France 24.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

festivals-established-in-1911 festivals-in-nigeria islam-in-nigeria islamic-festivals islamic-terminology hausa-language-culture ramadan eid-(islam) equestrianism

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