Nigeria's durbar: The spectacular horse parade closing Ramadan
Booming gunfire, vibrant gowns and blaring trumpets have animated the Nigerian city of Dutse during the durbar.This is a days-long horse parade held to mark Eid al-Fitr, a celebration for the end of the Ramadan. Emirs - traditional Islamic leaders - usually parade through their territories with a huge procession of horseback riders. On Monday, Emir of Dutse Hameem Nuhu Sunusi rode on a white stallion, shielded from the sun by a patterned blue parasol.The emir told the AFP news agency that the festival showcases Nigeria's rich traditions.
According to the UN's cultural organisation, the durbar is "a dexterous display of horsemanship and brilliant exhibition of a people's... heritage".
Royal hunters fired guns on Monday to announce the emir's approach.
Dutse is just one area in Nigeria's majority-Muslim north holding a durbar - a centuries-old tradition. The festival takes places twice a year - during the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays.
It is an occasion for all ages. In Dutse, members of the national scout association got involved.
Horses were not the only four-legged creatures on show.
The durbar usually takes place over several days - the celebration in Dutse continued on Tuesday.
You may also be interested in:
What are Eid al-Fitr and Ramadan and how do Muslims mark them?The Muslim group that worships through work and communityIn pictures: Eid celebrations around the world
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fashion United
8 hours ago
- Fashion United
Albania's women silk makers weave big dreams for ancient trade
Albanian women have long been famed for their stylish and colourful traditional attire that some still wore until relatively recently. And few were more chic than the women of Zadrima who wore their own handmade silks and headdresses, their fine gauze blouses set off with belts and swathes of red silk. But that age-old know-how was almost lost until silk making was dragged back from the edge of extinction by a group of local women who now master every stage of production, from raising the silkworms to weaving the precious fabric. "The history of silk" in this region of northern Albania nestled between the mountains and the Adriatic Sea "goes back to the 10th century", ethnologist Aferdita Onuzi told AFP. Often the silk was exported and it was particularly prized by the Italian and French nobility. But Albania's postwar communist regime centralised it all to a single factory for processing and weaving silk, which was completely destroyed after the fall of the dictatorship in the early 1990s. Then massive emigration and competition from synthetic fibres nearly killed the tradition. But for the last 15 years or so Franceska Pjetraj and her family, along with other women in the picturesque region, have been working to revive the craft. "It is a tradition as old as Zadrima," said Franceska, 30, who has opened a workshop with her mother Mimoza. "In the past, women here dressed in silk -- it was one of their joys," she added. Like other women in the long impoverished region, they are also weaving dreams of a better life. "Here, everything is done in an artisanal way, from cultivating and extracting silk threads to weaving and completing the final product," said Mimoza, 54, a nurse. 'They are like babies' The Zadrima region is ideal for white mulberry trees, whose leaves are silkworms' favourite food. "Raising a silkworm is fascinating," said the younger Pjetraj while tending to her caterpillars, which are carefully installed on the shelves of a dark barn. "They are like babies -- they demand as much dedication and love as children," she added. Some seem disturbed at the slightest noise, while others continue weaving their cocoons, secreting the famous silk thread. "Their life cycle lasts five to seven weeks," Pjetraj said, "and during this time they must be fed and given close attention". Delicate and highly sensitive, the worms cannot tolerate temperatures above 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit), nor cold or humidity, much less pesticides. And thunderstorms really frighten them. "From cocoon to thread and from thread to weaving, it is an art," said her mother Mimoza. "It requires skill, patience, but also passion." The cocoons are harvested before the butterflies leave them. They are first plunged into a bath of boiling water to soften them, then brushed with a small broom to unravel the threads, which are stretched and then woven. Last year Mimoza and her daughter were able to produce 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of silk thread that was transformed into stoles, skirts and blouses. "Happily we have no shortage of orders," said Mimoza, "because of our high quality and competitive prices." Hundreds of other women have followed their example in Zadrima and its surroundings and taken up breeding silkworms and artisanal weaving. Rozana Gostorani, 18, hopes one day to see the silk she weaves on the runways of big luxury fashion brands. "It is a very ancient trade... and also a high-quality art. I think (fashion houses) like Versace or Dolce & Gabbana should draw inspiration from the garments we produce here," she smiled.(AFP)
Time Out Dubai
a day ago
- Time Out Dubai
Islamic New Year 2025: Why it could be a long weekend in Dubai
The next UAE public holiday is nearly here – and there is a chance that it could give people living in Dubai a bumper long weekend. Set to arrive at the end of June, the Islamic New Year is guaranteed to give us at least one day off work as outlined in the UAE public holidays law. The exact date of the Islamic New Year depends on when the UAE's moon-sighting committee spots the crescent of Muharram in the Hijri calendar. Officially, the first day of Muharram is a public holiday in Dubai and the rest of the UAE, but there is a possibility that celebrations could roll over into Saturday and Sunday, which would then give us a three-day long weekend. The exact date of the holiday depends on whether Dhu Al Hijjah, the 12th and final month in the Islamic calendar, is a 29-day or 30-day month. Current astronomical predictions indicate that the Islamic New Year will fall on Thursday June 26 as Dhu Al Hijjah, the final Islamic month of the year, is predicted to be a 29-day month. But if Dhu Al Hijjah is a 30-day month, then the public holiday will fall on Friday June 27 instead. And, when combined with the weekend, this would give us a three-day long weekend to mark the Islamic New Year. In either scenario, we'll get some well-earned time off work in June, but only one outcome gives the majority of workers in Dubai three consecutive days off. The next UAE public holiday after the Islamic New Year After the Islamic New Year, the next UAE public holiday will be the Prophet Muhammad's Birthday (PBUH). This holiday is held on the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabi' Al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar, and is currently predicted to give Dubai residents a three-day long weekend. Currently, the holiday is predicted to begin on Friday September 5, which would also give us a three-day long weekend. You might also like: UAE public holidays: Every long weekend to look forward to in 2025 The dates to know 22 pictures that show how much Dubai has changed from the 1950s to today Take a look at these unrecognisable photos of the city 112 best things to do in Dubai in 2025 Everything to tick off your Dubai bucket list
Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
Ryanair introduces £500 fine for disruptive passengers to crack down on 'unacceptable' flight behaviour
A fine for disruption by passengers is being introduced by Ryanair. Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Disruptive Ryanair passengers removed from planes will be fined £500, the airline has announced. The carrier said this would be the 'minimum' punishment and it would continue to pursue passengers for civil damages. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Ryanair passenger plane coming into land. | PA Ryanair expressed hope the new policy would 'act as a deterrent to eliminate this unacceptable behaviour'. A spokesperson for the airline said: 'It is unacceptable that passengers are made to suffer unnecessary disruption because of one unruly passenger's behaviour. 'To help ensure that our passengers and crew travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment, without unnecessary disruption caused by a tiny number of unruly passengers, we have introduced a £500 fine, which will be issued to any passengers offloaded from aircraft as a result of their misconduct. 'While these are isolated events which happen across all airlines, disruptive behaviour in such a confined shared space is unacceptable.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ryanair has repeatedly called for a limit of two alcoholic drinks per passenger to be introduced at airport bars in response to an increase in disorder on flights. A Ryanair plane sits on the tarmac. Picture: Jose Jordan/AFP via Getty Images | AFP via Getty Images It claims this would result in 'a safer travel experience for passengers and crews'. Passengers causing disruption during flights can cause aircraft to be diverted, which often costs the airline thousands of pounds. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ryanair announced in January it had started taking legal action to recover losses from disruptive passengers, as part of what it described as a 'major misconduct clampdown'. The airline company said it filed civil legal proceedings against a passenger in Ireland to seek €15,000 (£12,600) in damages related to a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote, which diverted to Porto in April last year. Ryanair contends the passenger's behaviour caused the diversion.
