Most Yoruba myths of origin can be found in the divination narratives knows at Odu Ifa. There are approximately 256 Odu Ifa, each of which contains a number of poems called ese Ifa.
A typical ese Ifa is a narrative about a person or animal with a
problem and the steps to resolve that problem. An ese Ifa explains the
origins of Gelede as beginning with Yemoja,
"The Mother of all the orisa and all living things." Yemoja could not
have children and consulted an Ifa oracle, who advised her to offer
sacrifices and to dance with wooden images on her head and metal anklets
on her feet. After performing this ritual, she became pregnant. Her
first child was a boy, nicknamed "Efe" (the humorist); the Efe mask
emphasizes song and jests because of the personality of its namesake.
Yemoja's second child was a girl, nicknamed "Gelede" because she was obsessed like her mother, Gelede loved dancing.
After getting married themselves, neither Gelede or Efe's partner
could have children. The Ifa oracle suggested they try the same ritual
that had worked for their mother. No sooner than Efe and Gelede
performed these rituals- dancing with wooden images on their heads and
metal anklets on their feet- they started having children. These rituals
developed into the Gelede masked dance and was perpetuated by the
descendants of Efe and Gelede.
This right is commonly practice in the southwest of Nigeria and southeast of Benin after every dry season,which is between March-May. They say the festival is dedicated to our mothers (awon iya wa) It honors the spiritual role of women in the Yoruba society.
The central part of the Gelede festival is the performance by men
wearing special costumes and carved masks. The characters in this show
are women, animals etc. They are accompanied by a group of singers and
drummers. During the day performances are done at local markets. In the
night people can also see the special Efe ritual which includes elements
of social humor.
The Gelede "mask" is more accurately a headdress, since it rests on
top of the head and the wearer's face is covered by a cloth veil. The
headdress takes the form of a human head, on top of which are motifs
that are intended to entertain onlookers but, in addition, usually
address social concerns that may also be expressed in songs that are
part of the masquerade. The headdresses are usually brightly painted.Individuals or families will usually go to any length to make their
headdresses as attractive and humorous as possible. The endless variety
of the motifs and their combinations makes it difficult to attempt to
construct a typology of Gelede headdresses.
Most of the headdresses have facial adornments, ranging from lineage
marks to decorative tattoos, which are either incised or painted. #idropmypen
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