By Grâçia Ada Obi
On the spot of Ede Aro festival held in Orofia Abagana, the adviser of Chief Priest of Aro Abagana Chief Johnson Udoh from Orofia Abagana voiced out his happiness over the celebration of the festival.
Ede Aroh is a traditional festival of a deity called “Aroh” it is always celebrated annually. “The celebration was to have fun and joy, young men held a long sizable brown cane singing and jubilating around the Afor market square.
masquerades in their twos with groups holding flogging themselves shows they are strong enough to withstand pains, eating of the Ede (cocoyam) brings out unity and brotherhood among each other says.
Chief Nnanyelugo Alfred Chidi from Ukpo noted that in this year festival event of the Ede aro, young men, women both old goes out to offer white rams, goats, cows, cocks, yams, kola nuts, grates of beer, soft drinks, hot drinks, money amongst others to pay tribute to the goddess.
” Most of the old men and young men took white rams or cock to the shrine of the Aro, either to plead for her benevolence gestures,or to thank the goddess for her benevolence gestures on them”.
Most people and masquerade are seen with mark on their fore heads with some sacred white chalk called (Nzu) which signifies purity and their total loyalty and faithfulness to her.
This year event are marked on 29 December Afor and 30 December Nkwo in four days time Abagana ll be celebrating Nsala Aro Afor day.
Nsala dat is a day of merriment, all the spirit that came for the event goes back to where they came from.
Abagana is a beautiful town in igbo land, at the south Eastern Nigeria. It is a great town of nine villages
A town that is naturally situated at the heart of Anambra state across the great silver Niger Bridge. The sun set is always golden yellowish rays which falls directly upon Abagana because it is situated upon a hill. Driving from her neighboring villages of Nimo you can observe this hill, the same thing when driving from Enugu-Agidi.
Now, the popular festival held in Abagana are New Yam, Ofara (king’s feast) and Ede aroh.
