Leboku being a dialectic name for "Festival" is known to be the annual New Yam Festival of the Yakạạ people because the word is the language of the

Yakurr Yakurr is a Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. Its capital is the town of Ugep. The local government area (LGA) was carved out of Obubra local government in 1987. Yakurr has an area of 670 km and a population of 196,4 ...

people. It is celebrated in the south-south region of Cross River State,

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. The Leboku New Yam festival is peculiar to the core Yakạạ speaking communities: Ugep, Idomi,

Ekori Ekori is a community in Yakurr, Nigeria. Language and culture The native language is Lokaa. English is the official language; other languages spoken in Ekori include pidgin English, which most West African people understand. Leboku is the Ne ...

Mkpani Mkpani is a village in the Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guine ...

and Nko, and the international version is celebrated in Ugep once in a year. Each of the communities mentioned being peculiar to the Festival have a distinct day secluded or set aside for the celebration in their respective communities. These are; Lemomor boku, Lelomi boku, Lekoli boku, Lekpanikpani boku and Lekakaa boku. This is celebrated to honor the earth

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...

and the ancestral spirits of the land in Ugep, one of the five settlements of

. The three-week festival is the culmination of many events: the beginning of the yam harvest, a time to appease the gods and

ancestors An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder, or a forebear, is a parent or ( recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from w ...

, a public parade of engaged maidens, a commemoration of events that led to the migration from the Yakurr ancestral home to the present site, and a period of holiday in the Yakurr traditional calendar (mid-August through mid-September). The Yakurr calendar runs from August to July. During the Leboku, people keep away from intense farming activities and exchange visits with their families. The Leboku is also meant to usher in peace, good health and

prosperity Prosperity is the flourishing, thriving, good fortune and successful social status. Prosperity often produces profuse wealth including other factors which can be profusely wealthy in all degrees, such as happiness and health. Competing notions ...

Leboku celebration

The three-week celebration starts with the Mblemi. On this day, the harvest of new yams is officially flagged off. Beautifully attired women from different farm-roads and groups later parade the town with their harvests. The second day is the Janenboku, which literally translated means "women’s festival day". On this day, gifts are given to women by their loved ones and friends. Some traditional dances also take place. Tourists on the night of Janenboku are faced with two options – the traditional carnival like drumming and dancing to the rhythm of the

Ekoi "Ekoi" or "Ejagham" may refer to: * Ekoi people, a group of people found in south-eastern Nigeria, also known as Ejagham * Ekoid languages, the language spoken by the Ekoi people of south-eastern Nigeria * Ekoi mythology Ekoi mythology is the bel ...

drums to usher in the Ledemboku, held in the playground or the modern-day Miss Leboku Beauty

Pageant Pageant(s) or The Pageant(s) may refer to: Events * Procession or ceremony in elaborate costume * Beauty pageant, or beauty contest * List of pageants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints * Medieval pageant, a narrative medieval pro ...

, held in one of the hotels within the town. Day three is the Ledemboku or "men’s festival day". It involves exchange of gifts to males, performance by the male Ekoi dancers, a parade of the Obol Lopon and his Bi-Inah (council of chiefs), dance parade by leg-bangle-wearing Leboku

maiden Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

s to the rhythm of the Ekoi drums, and a display by the Etangala

masquerade Masquerade or Masquerades may refer to: Books * ''Masquerade'' (book), a 1979 children's book by Kit Williams that sparked a worldwide treasure hunt * ''Masquerades'' (novel), a 1995 Forgotten Realms novel by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb * ''Masq ...

, whose only outing yearlong is on this day. It should also be noted that the all-embracing Etangala group have as its head, a non-Ugep, Chief Ig Ekpenyong, the Obol Etangala I of Ugep is an

Efik The Efik are an ethnic group located primarily in southern Nigeria, and western Cameroon. Within Nigeria, the Efik can be found in the present-day Cross River State and Akwa Ibom state. The Efik speak the Efik language which is a member of the ...

man. After a day of rest, which affords the Leboku maidens opportunities to cultivate new friends, known as Nkokeboi, there is Leteboku. The Leteboku is a performance poetry contest among Leboku maidens from each of the traditional Ugep wards. The songs danced to, and the rhythm produced by the leg-bangles worn by the maidens is a delight to watch. Two days after the Leteboku, which are normally observed as rest days, is the Yekpi. It is a day when boys and Leboku maidens parade the town in a ceremony believed to usher in peace and prosperity. The Yeponfawa follows the Yekpi. This is a ceremony reserved only for initiates of the Libini group, to declare the first phase of the Leboku over. Although this takes place during the night, it is also a day non-initiates stay awake to listen to the songs. After the Yeponfawa, young boys and girls participate in a one-week music and festival through their dance ensembles known as Egbendum (for boys) and Oka (for girls). Every

neighbourhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...

has its own group, which is directed by an adult, who also teaches them songs and dance steps. The Leboku comes to an end with the exit of the Egbendum and Oka sessions. Children are normally hosted to a feast of yam porridge and palm wine. The yams and palm wine are collected from parents, relatives and farmers in farm-roads located in the children's neighbourhood.

References

{{Reflist Food and drink festivals in Nigeria Cultural festivals in Nigeria Folk festivals in Nigeria Festivals in Nigeria Yam festivals

Leboku celebration

See also

References