SLC-S25/W2 | Community World Tour: Festivals & Celebrations"

Origins of Mbopo

The origin of mbopo is ibibio and efik rooted tradition and this tradition was a customary practice before marriage. This tradition was a of preparing a young for marriage.
They also used the mbopo tradition to teach a young girl important morals and roles as future wives and mother. The teaching includes, teaching them how to cook certain traditional foods, caring for future husband and children.

This tradition also focus on the physical growth of the young girl.
That is why mbopo can also be called "fattening"

Meaning of Mbopo

The Ibibio word mbopo means "maiden" and sometimes could also mean "fattening". Mbopo meaning maiden or fattening is the process of initiating a young girl into womanhood or preparing her for marriage.
This ceremony is the one in a life time of a girl and its stand to be the greatest traditional ceremony in a girl's life.

I can remember vividly when I was a young girl, when I walk passed an elderly man or woman and greet them. Their response to the greetings was "oh uyai mbopo" meaning "yes my beautiful maid".

The emotions mbopo evokes

The mbopo Ibibio tradition of preparing a maiden for marriage many emotions like the feelings of pride. It evokes the feeling of social status in the life of the young girl. It also evokes celebration in the community as well as in the families the young girls.

The people who participated

All the young girls who are undergoing the initiation process, their family members and in fact the whole community usually participate in this celebration.
This festival and celebration usually marks the transition process of a young girl into womanhood and as such she will be taught how to manage her home, some moral values and social etiquettes as well as cooking skills are always transferred.

The central figure in this celebration is the young girl that is undergoing the mbopo ritual.

Her parents also play an important role the preparation and celebration.

Food eaten in the fattening room

The time of the year it takes place

The mbopo celebration as I earlier mentioned is the tradition in Nigeria that is celebrated by the Ibibio people of Akwa Ibom state and it typically takes place between August and September time period. This period usually marks the tradition time for the fattening room.

Fattening room in this context refers to a kind of traditional school where young girls are kept and moral values, teaching them about marriage, domestic life and motherhood.

In this room the girls are deliberately overfed to gain weight and they see this as a sign of beauty and prosperity.

My personal experience with the mbopo tradition

During my own time, I also passed through some of this process, like the teaching of moral values, domestic life, preparation for motherhood and social etiquettes.
I was taught some basic skills in cooking and I can remember vividly how I was asked to go and spend some months with a woman who just put to birth in other to learn how to take care of babies. The transitional celebration doesn't want their young girls to make mistakes in their homes and as such they will make sure a girl who is ripe for marriage undergoes these basic training.

Personally I experienced the fattening process recently after child's birth where I was deliberately overfed and when I try rejecting some of the food. I will be force to eat them in other to gain weight and increase in size.

I really added weight, I didn't have a choice, I had to do what tradition demands.

Thankfully, today I have lose weight and back to my desire size and shape.

Anecdotes and family tradition associated with mbopo

In the Ibibio culture of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria, the mbopo celebration is often associated with various anecdotes and family tradition such as;

• Family involvement: These bring older women in the family together and they guide the young girl throughout the period of the mbopo celebration.

• Preparation and celebration: People comes together to prepare themselves for the mbopo celebration.

• Passing down of values: Values are pass down to the young girls through this process

• Community bonding: Member of the community comes together for the celebration.

• Personal significance: This is the transition stage for the young girl.

"TYPE LESS SMILE MORE"

"Beta thing Na moni killer"

This expression simply means something good requires, money, time and effort.
The preparation of a young girl for marriage required a lot for the girl to be fully equipped when she get to her husband house. To be a able to perform her wifely duty like taking care of her husband, children and home.

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