AMAZING CULTURAL DAY DISPLAY

Today I would be preparing you for a very long post ahead. I would be talking about cultural week,one of the school activity that makes school functional. Other school activities that make schools functional include Career Day  and International Day.But this post will be limited only to cultural day.

PREAMBLE:
Culture is the total way of life of people in a community. Different community can be identified by the culture they displayed.
Let's take Nigeria as a case study. There are 36 state in Nigeria and a federal capital territory. The country is divided into 774 local government area. It is also assumed that the country speaks 774 languages. Which implies that there are about 774 cultures or ethnic group in Nigeria.

SETTINGS:
In Nigeria the three major ethnic group are always abbreviated as WAZOBIA best on the way they used the word 'COME'.
WA=Means come in Yoruba
ZO=Means come in Hausa
BIA=Means come in Igbo

Hence the three major ethnic group in Nigeria are Hausa,Igbo and Yoruba. During cultural Day in schools in Nigeria the three major ethnic groups are always call to take processions on stage before any other ethnic group.
Other ethnic groups in Nigeria includes
Akwa-Cross that is Akwa Ibom and cross rivers state merged together.
Delta
Edo
Ikwerre

SCHOOL :
The school on which the cultural day is going to take place is always on a very large banner either place on top of the gate of the school or on the wall of the school for passers-by to see and know what is happening. Besides another big banners in placed within the school to keep the students aware of the exquisite event. The banner are always decorated with cultural symbols of prominent ethnic groups of the country.

CULTURAL DAY SYMBOLS:
The most famous symbols used during cultural day include calabash,cow horns,palm fronds,beads, tattoos, chalk,anything local in nature!

DRESSED CODE:
The clothing put on during cultural week depends entirely on the culture of the various participating communities. For the Hausa,chieftaincy clothing is worth going for.For the Yoruba Agbada clothing is worth going for. For the Igbos igwe clothing is what going for.

PARTICIPATING CLASSES:
The classes that can participate in the cultural day display includes the nursery, primary and secondary sections.The best choice is to select each students from the same community and placed them in their respective cultural groups.

OVERVIEW OF THE RANKING PARADE:
The Hausa is always the first on stage,followed by the Yoruba and then the Igbos after these the rest of the different cultures would join the procession.

POPULAR SONGS SANG BY THE PARADING CULTURES:
The song to be sang during cultural day is popular to the tribe and native to the people,each participating ethnic group representative should be able to speak their language fluently and should be able to communicate in thier local dialet thereby making the ceremony graceful.

ANTHEM :
Usually every school events is usually started with the anthem including the cultural day. So begin your favourite cultural day with all the anthems,including the national anthem and your school anthem.

MASTER OF CEREMONY:
The M.C. of the occasion is usually the best English teacher of the school and few brainy students of the school who acts as an assistant M.C.

PROGRAM:
A leaflet is created serially which contains all the activities to be performed during the cultural day and is being red and followed by the M.C. who have already distributed the programs to parents and all the envitees.

CONTENTS OF THE PROGRAM :
1.Opening Prayer.
2.National and School anthem.
3.Introduction of the brainy students of the school as the M.C.
4.Introduction of the main M.C. one of the English teacher of the school.
5.Introduction of the envited guess.
6.Recognition of parents and participants.
7.Tribal display by the different ethnic group- a. Ikwere

              b. Efik/Ibibio

               c. Igbo

                d. Ijaw

                e. Edo/Delta

                f. Yoruba

                g. Hausa/ Fulani
8.Dance competition by the different ethnic group.
9.Drama by the different ethnic group.

                 a. Ijo Ibile dance festival by                            Yorubas

                  b. Iri ji festival by the Igbo's

                  c.Mbokpo by Efik/Ibibio

                   d.Egelege festival by the                                 Ikwerres

                    e.Alalifiari Alabo festival by                           the Ijaws

                     f.Dambe by Hausa/Fulani

                     g.Honomomen festival by                               Edo/Delts

                         
10.First Beauty Pageants!
11.History of the school and preparation of Okpa by primary students!
12.Admittance of previous cultural days.
13.Result of tribal display.
14.Result of danced competition.
15.Result of Drama.
16.Judgement by panel of judges to select the winner of the three competitions.

17. Final Beauty Peagent
18.Validarory speech.
19.Closing prayer
20.Closing.

DRAMA BY THE PARTICIPATING CULTURES OR ETHNIC GROUP:
Different types of drama are displayed by the participating cultures,particularly those drama common to the ethnic group of interest.Akwa-Cross sometimes displayed "MBOKPO" and Ekombi dance,the Ikwere displayed "Egerege",and many others too numerous to mention.

ENVITEES AND PARENTS:
The occasion is grace by parents and envitees.The audience is position in such a way that there is space for the parading cultures. The podium is placed directly in front of the parents and the envitees who came to graced the occasion strictly on invitations.

PARNEL OF JUDGES:
The parnel of judges is set up,usually comprises of teachers who select the best parading cultures during the matching parade and during the drama sessions by the different cultural groups.

BEAUTY PAGEANT:
Each cultural group participants or ethnic group would have to choose their finest lady to contest for the beauty pageant,whosoever emerge the winner is usually crowned as the miss cultural day of the year by the panel of judges!