FATTENING ROOM RITES | A DOCUMENTARY | THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD LIES IN THE DIVERSITY OF ITS CULTURE

Fattening Room Rites known as Nkuho or Mbopo is usually performed by young Maidens between the ages of fifteen (15) and twenty-five (25). The festival is customarily Celebrated for Maidens who have successfully undergone training in preparation for Marriage. It is the oldest and the most celebrated festival in the Efik/Ibibio Communities of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States of Nigeria. Nkuhọ festival as a Ritual Drama, combines ritual elements and some dramatic elements, that makes the celebration beautiful and attractive. It is a long period of rest, relaxation and recreation. It is a period of enjoyment and pleasure which involves a lot of eating, sleeping and refreshment. She is not allowed to cook or wash her clothed even her inner wears. A bevy of young beautiful young girls are always around her to take care of domestic chores. To begin the celebration, Maidens who are ready for marriage or of marriageable age are confined in their parent’s home between the period of one to two years, to receive traditional education on home management, cooking, childcare, relationship with husband, in-law, other family members and general wife/mother mannerism. The training is however, not compulsory for every female child, although highly recommended and regarded as criteria for becoming a good homemaker.