The Wrestling Festival In Our Country Nigeria - FOW 24 NEWS

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The Wrestling Festival In Our Country Nigeria


There are among my people, a lot of traditional festivals. Most of these festivals have been modified or stopped entirely due largely to religious influences and practices....
Others have remained untouched in spite of modern civilization and its preachings. 

The wrestling festival is one of the undying legacies of our times.
     During the onset of the dry season, usually in the months of November and December, this festival takes place. 


The preliminary contests are usually organized at the various villages in the town. This coincides with the market days of the organizing communities. It is usually organized at the set of sun to avoid intense heat.

 On such market days, the town crier would wake up early to inform the women of their traditional role of keeping the paths to the market very neat.
     

At school, little children would engage in mock wrestling during recreation. This is usually when they pick their partners for real contests. 

Most children enjoy this period for it serves as the time for training and mastery of wrestling tactics. Besides, it enables children especially to make a final decision on their choice of partners as no child would wish to be humiliated in the market square.
  

When the drummers pick their sticks under the beautiful shed of the cluster of trees at the far end of the market, the atmosphere becomes tense with excitement. Men who have passed their prime would, in a slow and steady dance step move towards the drummers. 

They usually raise their hands and heads, heaven-wards turning left and right in response to the rhythm of the drums. Sometimes, the agile ones would stop in the middle to display any style reminiscent of their heydays.
   

 The crowd usually forms a semi-circle around the drummers. The crowd grows with the importance of each wrestling contest. To keep the surging crowd from taking up available space in the middle, palm fronds made in special ways are used to frighten the crowd. 

At the intense moments, such measures become useless as the men too are also swallowed up by the excitement of the match.
 

   The wrestlers are usually arranged to face  each other. As the drums spin-out beautiful music, a wrestler would spring up and dance to the opponent's side to throw a challenge. If no harm is suspected, the challenge would be taken up. 

The wrestlers would dance round to acknowledge cheers of encouragement from their admirers. Then, they would shake hands to declare the bout open.
  

 Meanwhile, judges would be close to the wrestlers to ensure that nothing wrong happens. When the wrestlers have sized up one another, they would be close in. If no one throws down the other after some time, the judges would rush to separate them.
     

 The greatest excitement of any wrestling is when someone is thrown. The drummers are usually mad with their drums and so are the crowd.
      

The hero is carried shoulder high, sometimes with a cap trust on to his head and a walking stick. Women sing and jump with the drums round the market and so do children. 

Thus for the rest of the year, winners would be counting their blessings while losers would be hiding their heads of their defeat 
The Wrestling Festival In Our Country Nigeria Reviewed by FOW 24 News on May 22, 2018 Rating: 5 There are among my people, a lot of traditional festivals. Most of these festivals have been modified or stopped entirely due largely to ...

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