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During the ceremony, around 500 prisoners would be sacrificed. As many as 4,000 were reported killed in one of these ceremonies in 1727. [5] [6] [7] Most of the victims were sacrificed through decapitation, a tradition widely used by Dahomean kings, and the literal translation for the Fon name for the ceremony Xwetanu is "yearly head business". [8]
Animals are common subjects in African masks. Animal masks typically embody the spirit of animals, so that the mask-wearer becomes a medium to speak to animals themselves (e.g. to ask wild beasts to stay away from the village); in many cases, nevertheless, an animal is also (sometimes mainly) a symbol of specific virtues.
The general uninitiated public tends to see there various animal subjects : the kommolo tebu (a bird), [2] the lizard, the iguana, the barâmkamza dullogu (a water insect), the hand of God or the female spirit of the trees (gyinu ya). [3] The mask is represented both in male and female form. The male version is the most numerous. [4]
A masquerade ceremony (or masked rite, festival, procession or dance) is a cultural or religious event involving the wearing of masks. The practice has been seen throughout history from the prehistoric era to present day. They have a variety of themes. Their meanings can range from anything including life, death, and fertility.
Nine-Night, also known as Dead Yard, is a funerary tradition originating from the Asante people of west Africa and practiced in several Caribbean countries (primarily Jamaica). It is an extended wake that lasts for nine days, with roots from the Akan culture during 9 day period of observing the dead known as Dabɔnɛ (say: dah-boh-neh). [ 1 ]
In the southwest masks represent animals such as antelope, bush buffalo, and various strange creatures, are painted red, white and black. In the east, around Boulsa, masks have tall posts above the face to which fiber is attached. Two female Mossi masks of the eastern style at a year-end ceremony in the village of Zegedeguin.
For more about this picture, see Practices and rituals in traditional African religions, Traditional African masks, African art and African sculpture. Image 6 Serer representation of the universe . The three worlds : the invisible world, the terrestrial world and the nocturnal world.
Ijele Masquerade, known as the biggest Masquerade in Sub-Saharan Africa, is a tradition of the Igbo people of Nigeria and was listed in the UNESCO Archives as an intangible cultural element in need of urgent safeguarding [1]. In many communities in the state of Anambra in South-Eastern Nigeria, celebrations, burial ceremonies and other special ...