As the Benin annual Igue festival enters day two, the Benin monarch, Oba Ewaure the second has observed Ugie Erhoba rite Ugierhoba is a memorial anniversary of Oba’s ancestral fathers
The right is used to make propitiation to the spirits of the transited monarch at the ancestral hall axis of the palace
Oba Ewaure, Ogidigan, according to tradition and custom of the Benin kingdom, used the Ugierhoba rite to offer intense sacrifice at the altar of his ancestors for divine protection, good health, prosperity as well as bountiful harvest ahead of the new year.
The ceremony witnessed a colorful display of traditional dance with Eben (royal scepter) by eligible chiefs who were robed in different regalia in accordance with their hierarchical order
The Oba danced around the sacrificial materials at the ancestral hall, four times before using the eben to pay homage to the spirits of his transited fathers
The ceremony was climax with the ointment of the Oba with the blood of sacrifice offered by cheif Letema on behalf of the head of Ihogbe group, chief Ihama ‘N’Ihogbe
The palace of Omo N’Oba was filled with a sea of persons from different religious and ethnic groups to catch the fun of the traditional ceremony.
