The Egungun, the return of the ancestors

In Yoruba, the word Egungun points to bone, to what remains, and to the one who returns. When a patriarch or a prominent member of the community passes after an exemplary life, his spirit joins the Ara Orun, the dwellers of the sky. Through the initiatory society and the intercession of the Oje priest, he is called to put on the Eku, the ritual costume, and to return for a time to the earth.

That costume is a work in itself. Layered precious fabrics, rare cloths, velvet, mirrors and cowries, assembled so that no patch of flesh may show. The mirrors answer to the world of spirits. And when the panels of cloth fly out in the dance, it is the Aşe, the ancestral force, that spreads over those present.

Not every Egungun comes out for the same reasons. The Agba Egungun, the major ones, massive and solemn, carriers of the most formidable powers, appear only for great crises, the funerals of high dignitaries or the purification of the community. The Elu, dancers and acrobats, seize the crowd with their feats to the rhythm of the Bàtá and Gbedu drums. Others are satirical: they imitate the failings of society to teach morality with humour and firmness.

The Mariwo frame the outing and hold the crowd at a distance. That distance is not a matter of comfort: touching an Egungun is a sacrilege, the charge of the world of the dead being held too powerful for the body of the living.

In Ouidah, Egungun processions are among the strongest outings of the Vodun Days, alongside the Zangbeto. The two traditions sometimes cross in the same streets, without ever blending.

Visitor protocol

• Keep a distance of two to three metres at all times. The Mariwo enforce that limit.
• Any physical contact with the costume, the Eku, is strictly forbidden.
• Photography is allowed during public outings and cultural demonstrations. During ritual ceremonies it requires the prior agreement of the dignitaries.