Greek and Indigenous African Festivals: a Comparative Study

KIU Journal of Social Sciences KIU Journal of Social Sciences Copyright©2019 Kampala International University ISSN: 2413-9580; 5(3): 327–333 Greek and Indigenous African Festivals: A Comparative Study SEGUN OMOSULE, OLUYEMISI ADELEYE Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria. Abstract. The association of indigenous and trade links between the two races during the Africans with nature is not a peculiarity. In the period under review. Thus, the question of Greek world, the Dionysus festival was a diffusion may not be applicable. What cannot be compendium of various festivals and were denied is the fact human beings, the world over, celebrated at the dawn of civilization in Athens evolved with time and were, naturally inclined and the Anthesteria was considered the oldest of towards maintaining cultural and artistic such festivals. Many days of the year were yearning of the people especially when the focus dedicated to the celebration of the festivals. was on the younger generation. Using aesthetics as a springboard, the study examines the psychological and philosophical Like the African parallels, the performances undercurrents of festivals in the two cultural were associated with the desire to nurture their environments and concludes that entertainment younger ones through the path of morality, and religious reasons were the underlying honesty and perseverance. That was the drive in imports of the performances of festivals the the African world. Christopher Janaway (2006) world over. finds the same motivation in the writings of Plato. According to him, Plato‟s opinion about Keywords: Aesthetics, Eje, Masquerades, the art was geared towards motivating the young Festivals, Performance, Costumes ones who would graduate to be the guardians of the cities to pursue among other things, 1. Introduction creativity, harmony and “…what is fine and graceful in their work, so that our young people For the sake of clarity, it is imperative that we will live in a healthy place and be benefited on attempt a detailed study of the segments that all sides, and so that something of those fine were associated with Greek festivals. No doubt, works will strike their eyes and ears…” (3). The the festivals were celebrated in obvious worship motive in the western world was geared towards of Dionysus at Athens. According to Pickard- blessing the children. Whichever way one Cambridge (1973), the oldest of the approaches the two backgrounds, the aesthetic performances is known as Anthesteria and had a goal may not be too different from each other. peculiarity in its celebration as it was associated The celebration was also popular in other Indo- with the wearing of a crown of flowers by boys European cultures. The children were dressed and girls who were maturing from infancy. An and garlanded during the festival. It was the case obvious parallel may be found in the various that various chapters in the lives of the people maiden dances in the African world and the were attended by celebrations in order to prepare motives behind them may not be different even the people for a hitch-free undertaking. when there was hardly any visible diplomatic Indigenous African parallels exemplified by the 327 KIU Journal of Social Sciences Yoruba world specifically referring to Omidan enough time to take part in the Trojan campaign, (maiden dance) at Ondo, Ero at Ipele (both in the question of credibility becomes a glaring Ondo State), Ovia Osese in Ogori Magongo in one. Kogi State, Nigeria, and others. During Omidan and Ero, prayers were said as a form of rite Hera, Athena and Aphrodite immediately against the hitches that might confront them on claimed the apple. They all asked Zeus to be the life‟s bumpy highways. judge. Zeus knew how much trouble he would face should he decide in favour of one of them The Dionysus festival was held amid because the other two would pitch their tents unrestrained consumption of wine usually against him. So, Zeus descended on Mount Ida retrieved from the last autumn‟s grapes which and met Paris, the son of Priam who was they drank after pouring libations to Dionysus. farming there and mandated him to be the judge. The reason for the libation was to seek the Paris was the youngest son of Priam, king of blessing of Dionysus before drinking it and to Troy and Hecuba his consort. When he was make the wine amenable to the people by born, it was foretold he would be responsible for removing any impurity from it through the rite. the downfall of Troy, as relayed through a dream Homer‟s Odyssey and Iliad, are books that of Hecuba. He was sent out of Troy in what greatly reflect the adaptation of oral scripts into looks like the case of King Oedipus. He was in the written literature of the people. The Mount Ida where he remained a shepherd prior unrestrained consumption of wine was a to the visit of Zeus. Paris could not decide who remembrance of the primordial example where would be the winner because of the fact that he Orestes was entertained prelude to his cleansing. was a mortal. A desire for mutual relationship with the numinous reality and other sundry elements is A similarity between King Oedipus and why he believed to have, primarily, informed the rites, was banished from the land at birth and the case and festivals. The inherent entertainment is of Paris who was equally taken to the mountain secondary as it provides the leeway for the to be killed but later became a farmer explains contextual harmony that is instrumental in the the nature of oral tales such that a single tale propagation of the cultural dynamics. For the may become another story as it crosses sake of clarity, it is necessary that background geographical boundaries where structural information is provided about Orestes especially changes are likely to be introduced to the tale in for the benefit of readers that are not familiar order to suit the environment that is borrowing with Greek literature. the item. The goddesses decided to make it easier for him. They would offer him gifts. Hera Peleus and Thetis (the couple later gave birth to offered Paris power; all of Asia. Athena Achilles who later fought in the Trojan War) offered him great wisdom, and great luck in were performing their wedding. How old was he battle. He would be the best strategist in the then during the Trojan War? However, a world. He loved this idea, but he waited to hear goddess named Eris was excluded from the list Aphrodite‟s offer. Aphrodite offered him two of the invited guests. She came anyway and she things. She first offered her body and later threw a golden apple into the wedding. Inscribed promised him the hand of the most beautiful on the apple was a message: To the fairest. lady in the world, Helen. Paris fell for Three goddesses contested for the apple. The Aphrodite‟s gifts. Hera and Aphrodite vowed fabulous nature of the Trojan War confronts a vengeance. Paris soon went home to Troy reader as the conflict of chronology becomes thereafter and with the help of Aphrodite, he apparent when it is understood that the wedding sent a fleet of ships, broke into Menelaus‟ palace between Peleus and Thetis to which Eris was not in Greece and Helen was kidnapped. He also invited led to the birth of Achilles who took a lot of valuable materials with him. incidentally played active role in the Trojan War. Except some lengthy years seemed to be The Trojan War began from there. The Trojan the case after the wedding which gave Achilles War was imminent and the last hurdle was the 328 KIU Journal of Social Sciences need for a fair sail to Troy. The gods were angry may be paid to the “meanings and truths” of the and would only be pacified with the sacrifice of artistic devices (3-4). The holarchic model‟s Agamemnon‟s daughter named Iphigenia. This claim which holds “that behaviour is motivated he did without the approval of Clytemnestra. by the arousal of desires in conjunction with While he was away in Troy for nine years that beliefs regarding the capacity and opportunity to the war lasted, a pact was sealed between satisfy them” may be sufficient to meet the need Clytemnestra and Aegisthus as they began to of the study for definition (Wonderly, 1991: sleep with each other. The infidelity culminated 314). in the murder of Agamemnon by the duo when he returned from Troy 3. Application / Analysis The drinking spree was meant to entertain Indigenous Africans, like all peoples of the Orestes and all were required to drink in silence world prior to the advent of western civilization, and without sharing of cups. Orestes was the son exhibited a conceived environmental influence of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. He killed his on their activities. They conferred potency on mother in other to avenge the death of his father natural forces and accorded positive and who was killed by Clytemnestra and her negative influence in human virtues and foibles concubine named Aegisthus. The elopement of on the cosmic essence in the belief that both Paris with Helen the wife of Menelaus, physical and metaphysical phenomena are one Agamemnon‟s brother necessitated a reprisal continuum. Indigenous African philosophy and attack because it constituted an infringement on practices therefore emphasize the need for all the ethics of the Greece who considered it a mortals to conform to the unwritten spiritual great crime for a guest to seduce the wife of his constitution for the purpose of promoting host. And that was exactly what Paris the son of orderliness and societal quietude in justification Priam did.

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