Yoruba People And Their Owambe

It is usually a wonder to behold. The Yoruba people do not joke with this party at all as months earlier fabric called’Aso Ebi’ is sold and are fiercely fought for by prospective attendees. It is usually very colorful and marks out different groupings. The families, the in laws, the celebrants, the creditors, the mistresses and also even those who just heard that is the, ‘mogbo mo ya’ people all deck out in these materials. At the party, the colour of head gear and cloth determines the kind of service you get. If you are lucky to wear the identified official colour then your table will be filled with the choicest of food and wine. But if you are unfortunate to wear a colour closer to the mogbo moyàpeople then you would most likely go home hungry.

Food is served in abundance. The staples for these parties include rice, pounded yam, Amala, fresh fish etc. Then you would be given deserts and sorry I should have said earlier appetiser, which could be fruits, akanmu and puff puff.  To me the highlight is usually the dance. The musician on stage is given a list of prominent people and he on the spot starts singing their praises. This usually leads to the big boys spraying the musician while ogling the women and choosing the ones they will go home with. Many men have lost their wives during these dances. All the predator does is to target one of the big bottom, light skinned with dark blotches on their ankles with his crisp notes. As she wriggles her waist to the melodious songs on the bandstand, the randy wolf starts spraying her with money. He strategically places the money on her forehead, her chest, her waist while doing this whispering into her ear that they should meet later.

Yoruba people never forget their traditions. Even in the US, the money spraying during owambe is very important.