How Kano celebrates Eid-el-Fitr festival
By Yushau Ibrahim Adamu
In Hausa land Eid-el-fitr (end of Ramadan fasting) is one of the most attractive festivals that has over the centuries mesmerised visitors especially foreigners who travelled from far and wide to witness the grandeur of Sallah celebrations in Kano.
Traditionally, Eid-el-fitr celebration in Kano begins with the citing of the moon cre-scent of the month of Shaw-wal which Islamically marked the end of Ramadan fasting and the beginning of Sallah festival.
For Eid-el fitr celebrations in Kano, four main events namely: Hawan Idi, Hawan Daushe, Hawan Nassarawa and Hawan Dorayi are conducted every year as part of Sallah celebrations in the state capital, and the festival is no different this year.
The festivities began with citing of the moon crescent of Shawwal in various locations and certified by Islamic authorities in the country hea-ded by the Sultan of Sokoto. The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero then ordered his local soldiers (Yan Bindiga) to shoot in the air with their Dane guns. This according to tradition is an indication of the sighting of the new moon of Shawwal and the beginning of Eid-el-fitr celebrations in Kano Emirate.
In the morning of the first day of Shawwal and also the Sallah day, according to tradition, the entire Muslim Um-mah including young men and women will troop to the Sallah praying ground situated at Kofar Mata to offer two raka’ats of their Eid-el-fitr prayers. Traditional rulers on their part will also stormed the emir’s palace by Kofar Kwaru to wait for the Emir to come out and head them to the Eid ground to join other Muslims for prayers.
Traditionally, the emir comes out in a white dress and leads his entourage to the pra-ying ground on foot, which include all district heads, ward heads and other traditional titleholders of Kano Emirate. Immediately after the prayer, the emir’s drummers (Yan Tambura) begin their traditional beating of tambourines, which is a signal to the emir to ride his highly decorated white horse and start the journey back to his palace.
On his way back, the emir rides on horse back together with his entourage, through designated routes: Wambai, Zage and Shettima quarters and at Gidan Shettima, the emir meets with the state governor (Mallam Ibrahim Shek-arau) where they exchanged their Sallah greetings.
Later the emir moves to Kofar Kwaru ground and receives traditional Sallah homage (Jafi) from all district heads and other traditional titleholders. After receiving the homage the emir delivers his Sallah message to the mammoth crowd of Muslims and then moves into his palace (Gidan Sarauta). This marks the end of Hawan Idi in Kano.
The next morning, all traditional title holders including district heads, ward heads and village heads are expected to arrived the palace at about 8am for their traditional greetings to the emir. This keeps the emir in the palace up to 11.30am.
After receiving the Sallah greetings, the emir retires into his inner palace to prepare for the traditional Hawan daushe in the afternoon. At about 3pm of the same day, dane guns are shot into the air which is a signal for emir’s men to get prepared for Hawan Daushe which is the second Sallah procession celebration that is observed on every other Sallah in Kano.
Hawan Daushe, according to Daily Trust investigation, started since the era of Sarkin Kano Alu who sent his servant, Daushe, to an official assignment outside Kano and Hawan Sallah took place before his return. When he returned from the trip, according to oral tradition, he showed his anger for missing the traditional Hawan Sallah, and so Emir Alu initiated the Hawan Daushe to pacify his great servant Daushe.
But another version of the tradition hold that Hawan Daushe was initiated by the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Maje Karofi, when he visited his mother at Babban-Daki Gwangwazo Quarters of Kano. For this reason some people named the procession Hawan Babban-Daki.
By 4pm of the same evening after all the traditional titled holders in the state have stationed themselves at Kofar Kwaru gro-und in their full traditional regalia, the emir comes out from Gidan Sarauta accompanied by the colourful, well-dressed horse, Dokin Zage, and the traditional title holders would form a beautiful procession and go round the city of Kano, through Kofar Kwaru, Kwanar Soron-Dinki, Gidan Shettima, Kwanar Chediyar-Makama, Kwanar-Mandawari, Hausawa, Kara-fka, Galadanchi, Tudun-Waz-irchi, Yan-Dusa and stop at Gwangwazo Junction where he receives the traditional greeting (Jafi) from horse riders.
From Gwangwazo Junction, the emir and his entourage move to Kofar-Kudu where top dignitaries are seated to witnessed the grand durbar called Hawan Daushe celebration. Traditionally, in this procession the emir is the last in the procession to enable him to exchange greetings with the august visitors including foreigners and this too marks the end of Hawan Daushe, which ends at about 6 pm.
The 3rd day of Shawwal is for Hawan Nassarawa in Kano. The first event to usher in the activities of the day is the shooting of dane guns by Maitafari boys (Yan Bindiga) at 6am calling the attention of all horse riders to get ready for Hawan Nassarawa.
The emir comes out thro-ugh Kofar Kudu at about 8am wearing his traditional Alkya-bba (robes), an attractive Sallah dress for Royal leaders. His district heads, village heads and ward heads also wear similar regalia. Traditionally, in Hawan Nassarawa all district heads that are not from the ruling families or Gidan Sarauta will be in the front row of the procession while those from the Gidan Sarauta or ruling houses follow the emir from behind.
From Kofar-Kudu the emir and his entourage move in procession to Government House through Kofar Nassar-awa, Silver Jubilee Round About and State Road. The emir by tradition stops over at Emirs’ House at Nassarawa where Late Emirs were buried and pray for them. While pra-ying there, Shamaki and Dan-Rimi rush to Government House to inform the governor on the emir’s proximity to Government House.
After praying, the emir and his entourage move to Government House and meet the governor at African House where both of them would deliver their Sallah messages to the crowd.
From the Government House, the Emir and his entourage ride back on their horses to the palace through Lodge Road, Nassarawa Hospital, Bata Sabon-Gari, Fagge, Kofar-Mata, Murtala Muhammad General Hospital and the emir enters his palace (Gidan Sarauta) through Kofar Fatalwa, thus ending the traditional Hawan Nass-arawa.
On the 5th day of Shawwal, the final of the Sallah festivities, Hawan Dorayi, is witnessed in Kano. This procession Daily Trust gathered was initiated by the emir of Kano, the Late Usman Dan Tsoho in which he visited his guest-houses at Dorayi and Fani-sau.
Unlike other processions, in Hawan-Dorayi, the emir usually comes out in the early hours to join his entourage to Dorayi through Mand-awari, Sabon Titi, Tal’udu, Federal College of Education, Kano, Kofar Famfo and then to Dorayi Quarters.
At Dorayi Guest House the emir spends about two hours receiving sallah messages, not only from his district heads, village heads, and ward heads but also from the emirs of Hadejia, Kazaure, Gumel, Ringim, Kastina, Dutse, among others.
At about 4pm Maitafari and his men will again shoot their dane guns into the air and ’Yan Tambura (Drummers) begin beatings their tambourines which is a signals to horse riders to prepared for home. The emir and his entourage return home through Goron-Dutse grave Yard, Jakara, Makwarari, Soron Dinki and enter his palace through Kofar Kwaru. And this marks the end of Hawan Dorayi and the end of all festivities of Eid-el-fitr celebrations in Kano.
However there are other activities that add glamour to Sallah celebrations in Kano, which include the colourful activities of various categories of people and groups in the emir’s entourage during the five-day event. They include, ’Yan Baka, ’Yan Bindiga, ’Yan Kwalkwali ’Yan Lufuda, Dogarai and ’Yan Tauri as well as various drummers and singers, snake charmers, magicians and comedians who travel from all over the state to partake in the colourful and glamorous sallah festivities in Kano.
Apart from the emir’s traditional Hawan Sallah other people in the state usually organise their personal Sallah celebrations at various locations in the state. These include kalangu, koroso and other Hausa cultural dances.
Those in tune with modernity organise picnics and get-togethers in their homes and public parks. It is also a time for children’s visit to the zoo, amusement parks and the traditional yawon Sallah (Sallah visits) by kids. It is also a time for well-wishing to friends and relatives and a time for sober reflection on the spiritual devotions and worship which characterised the last 29 – 30 days of the holy month of Ramadan.
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