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Igue festival (also known as King's Festival) is a celebration with its origin in the Benin Kingdom of Edo State, southern Nigeria.[1] One tradition states that the festival date coincided with the marriage of Ewuare to a wife named Ewere.[2] Celebrated between Christmas and New Year, the festival includes the Oba's blessing of the land and his people.The Igue festival also honors the memory of former Obas and spans a period of seven days.[3] During the Igue ritual season, the Oba is prohibited from being in the presence of any non-native person.[3]
- ^ Ryder, A.F.C. (1981). D.T. Niane (ed.). General History of Africa: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century. Paris: UNESCO. pp. 339–370.
- ^ Egharevba, Jacob (1960). A Short History of Benin. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press.
- ^ a b "Igue Festival: A unique Benin celebration". Daily Trust. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 2021-08-30.