More of uzo iyi.

Enyi aga na mkpa

Idi ndi Eze.

Enyi Idi ndi Eze.

Ochanmili

The greatest!!

Umu bi na nmili.

Uzo iyi hut.

Brilliant. Your uzo iyi festival must be great. So many mmanwu in your villa. I can't count more than 4 from my own villa.

Does your uzo iyi festival have any thing to do with maintaining the path to your stream/river/spring water ? We do have ikwa Uzo (path maintenance )or ikwa uzo Iyi (river path maintenance), but not on a grand scale like yours.

Nri,are you from umuoli village?

pazienza: Nri,are you from umuoli village?

Bonafide nwa Okodu kpomkwem.

FACE: Brilliant. Your uzo iyi festival must be great. So many mmanwu in your villa. I can't count more than 4 from my own villa.

Does your uzo iyi festival have any thing to do with maintaining the path to your stream/river/spring water ? We do have ikwa Uzo (path maintenance )or ikwa uzo Iyi (river path maintenance), but not on a grand scale like yours.

The uzo iyi(way to the stream) is performed to usher in the new farming season; It is used to beseech the gods and the spirits of the land for a successful farming season. On the day of the uzo iyi,all the streams and rivers in the town are barricaded with a virgin palm leaves and nobody and I mean nobody goes to the rivers or the streams! There are twenty three villages in umuoji and each comes to the festivals with more than one masqurade. This festival has been in existence since the 14th century. Governor Peter Obi attended last years festival during his speech discloses that it was the masqurade from from Umuoji that helped Anambra state to win the first position at the 2006 Abuja cultural carnival tagged; Abuja carnical and won the second place in 2007 for Anambra state. The festival attracts personalities from all walks of life and most Idenmili Kings do attend. The governor is currently lobbying big corporation for sponsorship of the festival just like Ofalla Onicha.

Ife di na Oji !

Odenigbo Aroli:

The uzo iyi(way to the stream) is performed to usher in the new farming season; It is used to beseech the gods and the spirits of the land for a successful farming season. On the day of the uzo iyi,all the streams and rivers in the town are barricaded with a virgin palm leaves and nobody and I mean nobody goes to the rivers or the streams! There are twenty three villages in umuoji and each comes to the festivals with more than one masqurade. This festival has been in existence since the 14th century. Governor Peter Obi attended last years festival during his speech discloses that it was the masqurade from from Umuoji that helped Anambra state to win the first position at the 2006 Abuja cultural carnival tagged; Abuja carnical and won the second place in 2007 for Anambra state. The festival attracts personalities from all walks of life and most Idenmili Kings do attend. The governor is currently lobbying big corporation for sponsorship of the festival just like Ofalla Onicha.

Ife di na Oji !

That's nice. Ours is limited to the two hamlets (one village) that use our local stream. Nobody goes to the stream on that day and there is some merriment, which is very very low key in comparison to yours. I like yours though.

There used to be a masquerade festivals in the east, which attracted masquerades from everywhere including Calabar areas. The festival was stopped because the first three ended up with masquerades showing off their strengths.

The first one was in Enugu and one masquerade from Udi silenced the other masquerades drums by "remote control", until they paid some money. All of them came prepared for the Aba festival, and according to my brother (he probably added salt and pepper)spectators were being pinned at the gates by masquerades. There was even a case of mortar and pestle arriving the scene unaccompanied.(yeah my bros tells them stories like dat)

The next one was in Owerri and was good. The last one that got the festival suspended was in Enugu. Udi masquerade tried their antics again and silenced many drum sets but not all. So they decided to take on the masquerades individually and came face to face with masquerades from Izuogu the land of the great Pericoma.

Udi masquerades were able to silence Izuogu masquerades initially, but Izuogu restored their sets after breaking some eggs. Then to everyone's amazement, Izuogu set Udi masquerade on fire by "remote control". Onye obuna na oso.

Anyways good on your people and I hope you keep it up.

Nice thread, nice photographs and a nice 0.P.
Welldone Nwa Nri.

FACE:

That's nice. Ours is limited to the two hamlets (one village) that use our local stream. Nobody goes to the stream on that day and there is some merriment, which is very very low key in comparison to yours. I like yours though.

There used to be a masquerade festivals in the east, which attracted masquerades from everywhere including Calabar areas. The festival was stopped because the first three ended up with masquerades showing off their strengths.

The first one was in Enugu and one masquerade from Udi silenced the other masquerades drums by "remote control", until they paid some money. All of them came prepared for the Aba festival, and according to my brother (he probably added salt and pepper)spectators were being pinned at the gates by masquerades. There was even a case of mortar and pestle arriving the scene unaccompanied.(yeah my bros tells them stories like dat)

The next one was in Owerri and was good. The last one that got the festival suspended was in Enugu. Udi masquerade tried their antics again and silenced many drum sets but not all. So they decided to take on the masquerades individually and came face to face with masquerades from Izuogu the land of the great Pericoma.

Udi masquerades were able to silence Izuogu masquerades initially, but Izuogu restored their sets after breaking some eggs. Then to everyone's amazement, Izuogu set Udi masquerade on fire by "remote control". Onye obuna na oso.

Anyways good on your people and I hope you keep it up.

You sounded like you are from Aro Ndi Izuogu...lol Izuogu has some mad jazz thou. During the uzo iyi festivals there is one particular ritual performed by " Umu-dibia" very early in the morning before the colloseum is opened: This very rutual is a peace and safety sacrifice to the gods to protect every soul and all masqurade as they come and go. Once this sacrifice is performed you can be rest assured that there wont be any fights,deaths nor any quarrels during and after the festivals. And this sacrifice has not dissapointed us. Since the inception of the uzo iyi,i was told that there has never been a fight,deaths nor quarrel. Visitors from all over the east do attend and will usually go back in peace with no harm!
Ife di na Oji.

Andre Uweh: Nice thread, nice photographs and a nice 0.P.
Welldone Nwa Nri.

Andre,daalu rinne. I am actually uploading this pics from a friends facebook page and he doesnt have all the masqurades but I will try and get more. Enjoy.

More from uzo iyi.

Nna na agbogho nmuo.

Nmuo agadi,headed to uzo iyi while stopping house to house to wail.

Ebube dike Ideoma,Umuoji. This nmuo is very dangerous and he carries an axe!

Onye kuluva at the entrance gate.

The hipopothamus "Akum" at the festival.

The zebra.

Young boy having fun.

Okodu boys getting jiggy.

Isi enyi boys.

Nyakwulu Aguma village with a rider.

Nyakwulu "carmel". Some of these masqurades are new introduction.

Nyakwulu.

Nwakwulu seating.

Nmuo police.

Nyakwulu againg. In the habit of throwing candies to spectators.