Travel: 7 Things You To Know About The Famous Durbar Festival

Traditional flutists perform during the durbar festival on the second day of Eid-al-Fitr celebrations in Nigeria's northern city of Kano, July 7, 2016. (Photo by Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters)

The Durbar festival dates back hundreds of years to the time when the Emirate (state) in the north used horses in warfare.

During this period, each town, district, and nobility household was expected to contribute a regiment to the defense of the Emirate. Once or twice a year, the Emirate military chiefs invited the various regiments for a Durbar (military parade) for the Emir and his chiefs.

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During the parade, regiments would showcase their horsemanship, their preparedness for war, and their loyalty to the Emirate. Today, Durbar has become a festival celebrated in honour of visiting Heads of State and at the culmination of the two great Muslim festivals, Id-el Fitri (commemorating the end of the holy month of Ramadan) and Ide-el Kabir (commemorating Prophet Ibrahim sacrificing a ram instead of his son).The best states/cities to witness the Durbar Festival is Kano, Bida in Niger state, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna and Bauchi. In these cities, the festival is considered a major tourist attraction, with attendees from all over the world. However, Katsina is known as the grandest of all the festivals.

What to expect

The Durbar festival usually starts out with prayers and the national anthem outside the town or in front of the government house, and then a procession of horsemen in colourful regalia, including the emir’s family, into the town. The last horseman of the parade to arrive is the emir beautifully adorned in beautiful traditional attire, shielded from the sun by a massive twirling parasol.

The festival is filled with many sites and activities happening at the same time.

Horsemen: You might see roaring muskets flash salutes as thousands of warrior horsemen race onto the parade ground. They also wield glistening swords to honour the emir.

Animal display: Adorned houses, baboons, hyenas, camels and pythons.

Regalia: Colourful robes, indigo turbans and ostrich feathers.

Entertainment: Traditional dances and displays by different groups, traditional drums, trumpets and flutes, flipping acrobats and jesters.

Food: Lots of food vendors around the parade ground.

Things that might shock you: gun salutes, stick fights, knife plays, fire stunts and other interesting demonstrations.

The Jahi race: The Jahi race is the highlight of the Durbar and the last item on the agenda of the Hawan Daushe. Several horse riders in the emirate charge on top speed towards the emir, then suddenly pull aside upon reaching him,and raise their sword or flag before taking their exit. Photo Credit: Getty

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