Known also as the Adamu Orisha Play or the Eyo Festival, the Eyo Festival is a Yoruba festival peculiar to Lagos, Nigeria. Nowadays, it is a tourist attraction and is traditionally performed on Lagos Island because of its history.
As well as dancers dressed in costumes, known as masquerades, who perform during the festival, "Eyo" also refers to them. This observance has its origins in the inner workings of the secret societies of Lagos, where it finds its origins in their inner workings. Eyo is a festival that was held back in the day when it was held to usher in the new king of Lagos and to escort the souls of departed Lagos Kings and Chiefs. A common belief is that the play is a manifestation of the African customary revelry that served as an inspiration for Brazil's modern carnivals. Traffic is prohibited on the main highway in the city on Eyo Day (from the end of Carter Bridge to Tinubu Square), which allows for procession from Idumota to the Iga Idunganran palace. Yoruba refers to the white-clad Eyo masquerades as agogoro Eyo (literally: "tall Eyo") because they represent the spirits of the dead.
The first procession in Lagos was held on the 20th of February, 1854, in celebration of the life of Oba Akintoye, who passed away that year. Throughout the course of the ceremony, all participants give homage to the reigning Oba of Lagos. Usually held in conjunction with a high-ranking court chief's final burial, the festival is held whenever the occasion and tradition demand it.
The Yorubas have largely abandoned their indigenous religions in favor of Christianity and Islam. However, the old festivals are still widely observed as tourist attractions that generate a lot of income for government and small businesses around the Lagos Island venue of the Eyo festival. On these occasions, the monarchy and nobles can exert the most power they still possess.
Pelu Awofeso, a lifelong travel writer and culture reporter specialising in Nigerian festivals, observes that a full week before the festival (always on a Sunday), the Adimu, the senior eyo group, goes public with a staff, dressed all in black with broad rimmed hats. Whenever this happens, it means that the event will take place on the Saturday following the event on the previous Saturday. From Monday to Thursday, the other four Eyo groups take turns - Laba (Red), Oniko (Yellow), Ologede (Green) and Agere (Purple).
The Eyo festival provides income for tailors, as the costumes are always in demand during the festival. The masquerades are seen as sport as hundreds of people usually gather to watch the spectacle.
http://www.taag.com/en/Destinations/Destination-Guide/Suggestion/eyo-festival https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyo_festival