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  The Durbar festival is an annual religious and equestrian celebration in several cities of Nigeria including Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Zazzau, Bauchi and Bida. The festival marks the end of Ramadan and also coincides with the Muslim festivities of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitri.
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The event itself features a male-only procession garbed in turbans and flowing robes of silk, brocade and other luxurious materials. It is a four-day exhibition of horsemanship, folk music, dance, masquerade show, and fashion parade. It begins with prayers, followed by a colourful parade of the Emir and his entourage on horses, accompanied by musicians, and ending at the Emir’s palace. Durbar festivals are organised in almost all cities of northern Nigeria and have become a major tourist attraction. In Northern Nigeria, the practices date back over 200 years.

Etymology

The word Durbar is of Persian origin and it was first linked to ceremonial assemblies marking the proclamation of Queen Victoria as the Empress of colonial India in 1877. But the native Hausa use the term Hawan Sallah to describe the festival – with Hawan meaning the “Mount of Eid”, referencing the physical mounting of the horse.

History

Pre-colonial era Historians say the “Hawan Daushe” (Mount of Daushe) was introduced to Kano during the reign of Muhammadu Rumfa in the 1400s. During and after the Fulani Jihad horses were used in warfare to protect the Emirate. Each noble household was expected to defend the Emirate by forming a regiment. Once a year, the regiments would gather for a military parade to demonstrate allegiance to their ruler, by showcasing their horsemanship, readiness for war, and loyalty.
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Colonial-era Others say the Durbar festival was introduced to Nigeria by colonial administrators with political objectives in mind. The word Durbar is of Persian origin and it was first linked to ceremonial assemblies marking the proclamation of Queen Victoria as the Empress of colonial India in 1877. In Nigeria, the events then were ceremonial in nature, the first Durbar was held in 1911, subsequent ceremonies were held in 1924, 1925, 1948, 1960 and 1972. The ceremonies linked together pre-colonial aspects of the martial display, colonialists created assemblies and celebrations of important events in Northern Nigeria. Independence The Durbar festival featured prominently in the 2nd World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture sometimes known as Festac 77. Since Festac, the colonial origins was gradually phased out and the events were linked with pre-colonial traditions such as the importance of horses for military purposes and ceremonies in the Bornu Empire and the ceremonies of ‘Hawan Sallah’ and ‘Hawan Idi’. Then and Now The festival began under slightly different circumstances from what it is known as today. Back then, the Emirate was prone to attacks from outside forces and there was a need for protection in warfare. The Emir prioritized this need for military defence and tasked the noble houses with ensuring this. To prove to the Emir that it was capable of defending the Emirate during warfare, each noble house would form a regiment. Each regiment would come before the Emir and perform a military parade complete with equestrian display, as horses were important vehicles in battle at the time, in order to prove its readiness for war as well as its complete devotion to the will of the monarch. This became an annual event and thus turned to a festival in its own right. Fast forward to the present day, it is now far removed from its wartime roots and instead steeped in religious observance: it typically marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, prayer and sacred reflection, and coincides with the celebrations of Eid al-Fitri and Eid al-Adha. Sources:  Wikipedia
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This article was first published on 19th June 2021 and updated on December 8th, 2021 at 1:41 pm

jeremiah

Jeremiah is a scholar and a poet. He has a keen eye for studying the world and is passionate about people. He tweets at @jeremiahaluwong.

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