The festivals of the Hausa-Fulani world combine religion, pre-existing regional customs and the political role of emirs and chiefs. They are living traditions that communicate status, reaffirm religious obligations and, in many places, act as tourist and civic spectacles.
Durbar: cavalry, ceremony and state display
“Durbar” is the common Nigerian usage for the mounted procession held publicly at major Muslim festivals. The event centres on the emir or sultan, who processes on horseback with his council, cavalry and court retinues. The procession commonly follows Eid prayers and is accompanied by kakaki (long brass trumpets), drumming, horse-riding displays and formal greetings.
Historically, Durbar pageants evolved from military and courtly ceremonies in the Hausa-land and neighbouring emirates. They served practical and symbolic functions: signalling military readiness, confirming allegiance to a ruler and publicly performing royal authority. Under the Sokoto Caliphate (established by Usman ɗan Fodio in the early 19th century) and the later emirate system, mounted displays retained both political and religious resonance.
During the colonial era, British administrators frequently staged or encouraged public pageantry as a way to express and stabilise indirect rule. The spectacle of emirs and their mounted entourages suited colonial expectations about “traditional” authority and became a feature of official calendars. Since independence, Durbar festivals have been reworked at times as cultural heritage events and as attractions for domestic and foreign visitors, while still serving their local ritual functions.
Hawan Sallah: the ruler’s Eid ride
Hawan Sallah (literally “riding for Sallah/Eid”) is the set-piece ride usually associated with the emir’s formal public greeting during and after Eid prayers. It is shorter and more explicitly ritualised than some larger Durbar occasions, and it reinforces the bond between ruler and ruled: the emir appears in public as a moral and civic exemplar, offers blessings and receives petitions or salutations.
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The Argungu Fishing Festival: water, competition and identity
The Argungu Fishing Festival, held annually in north-west Nigeria (Argungu, Kebbi State), is distinct from mounted pageantry. It centres on a mass fishing event in the Matanfada/Argungu river system. Participants enter the shallow river with hand traps or baskets and compete to catch the largest fish; the event is also accompanied by cultural competitions (wrestling, canoe races, music and crafts).
Argungu’s modern form became nationally prominent in the 20th century and was promoted as a symbol of peace and cultural pride; it later developed into a major tourism event drawing visitors from across West Africa and beyond. Local histories describe forms of popular fishing celebration that pre-date formal 20th-century promotion, but the festival’s present organisation and national profile are products of 20th-century social and political change.
Religion, continuity and adaptation
Islamic observances (notably the two Eids) structure the annual ritual calendar in Hausa-Fulani societies. At the same time, local customs, music, costume, horsemanship, masquerade motifs and specific seasonal rites, persist and have been folded into Islamic festivals in regionally distinct ways. The result is not a uniform “Islamised” culture but a range of hybrid practices in which Islamic and pre-Islamic elements coexist and are reinterpreted across generations.
Colonial and post-colonial transformations
Colonial authorities made pragmatic use of emirate ceremonies to legitimate indirect rule; they also standardised and sometimes re-sited events for the convenience of administration and visitors. After independence, state governments, tourism agencies and emirates have alternately promoted, regulated and commodified festivals. Television, radio and the internet have brought local pageants to national and international audiences, increasing both visibility and pressures to stage performances for outsiders.
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Contemporary functions and pressures
Today these festivals perform multiple roles:
- Religious and communal: reaffirming faith, marking life-cycle stages and strengthening community ties.
- Political: visibly expressing authority and legitimacy for emirs and traditional councils.
- Economic and touristic: attracting spectators, supporting markets, artisans and hospitality sectors.
- Cultural diplomacy: projecting regional identity to national and international audiences.
They also face challenges: insecurity in some northern regions can disrupt events; commercialisation may alter ritual meanings; and younger generations may engage differently with tradition, prompting programmes for cultural education and heritage protection.
Author’s note
Hausa-Fulani festivals such as the Durbar, Hawan Sallah and the Argungu Fishing Festival are complex cultural institutions. Rooted in pre-Islamic customs and reshaped by Islamic rulings, emirial politics and colonial and post-colonial statecraft, they function as religious rituals, displays of political legitimacy and engines of local economies. Preservation efforts should respect ritual meanings while enabling communities to benefit socially and economically. The true strength of these festivals lies in their adaptability: they are living traditions that negotiate continuity and change.
Sources
- Sokoto Caliphate / Usman ɗan Fodio– overview entry, Encyclopaedia Britannica.
- Durbar and emirial pageantry– Kano State / cultural heritage materials and scholarly treatments of northern Nigerian ceremonies (see regional cultural bureaux publications; for colonial context, see works on British indirect rule in Northern Nigeria).
- Argungu Fishing Festival– Kebbi State and credible festival histories; see coverage in academic and cultural reports on Nigerian festivals and tourism (Argungu is widely described in regional government and tourism documentation).
