Durbar.
The Durbar festival dates back hundreds of years to the time when the Emirate (state) in the north use’s horses in warfare. Durbar During this period, each town, district, and nobility household was expected to contribute a regiment to the defense of the Emirate.
The Emirate’s District Title Holders invite’s their various Warrior’s for a Durbar (military parade) for the Emir and his Guests. During the parade, regiments would showcase their horsemanship, their preparedness for war, and their loyalty to the Emir.
Today, Durbar has become a festival celebrated in honor of visiting Heads of State and at the culmination of the two great Muslim festivals, Id-el Fitri (commemorating the end of the holy month of Ramadan) and Ide-el Kabir (commemorating Prophet Ibrahim sacrificing a ram instead of his son).
Zazzau Durbar is the most magnificent and spectacular.Sallah Karama and Sallah Babba. The festival begins with each group racing across the square at full gallop, swords glinting in the sun. They pass just few feet away from the Emir, then stop abruptly to salute him with raised swords. After the celebrations, the Emir and his chiefs retire to the palace, and enjoyment of the occasion reigns. This fanfare is intensified by drumming, dancing and singing,of various traditional song and dancers,a fascinating sideshow to behold.
Hawan Sallah Hawan Bariki Hawan Daushe
Zazzau Emirate is known to hold in honour of great leaders, One of the earliest records of durbar was that of 1913 (held 13 years after the British captured Zazzau) at Kaduna, the festival was to be in honour of Lord Lugard the then Governor General of Northern Protectorate (now Northern Nigeria). Also at Kaduna in 1956, a durbar was organized to honour her majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 1971 durbar to honour Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, the Festac of 1977, and in recent past we had the NAFEST durbar 2005 and Common-wealth Parliamentary durbar in 2006 in Zaria. Such festivities gave Kaduna town and Zazzau Emirate in general prominence in the promoting our rich culture and the enhancement of tourism in Nigeria.