The Kano Durbar Festival

Richly decorated horses carry their owns during the "Hawan Daushe" in Kano. During the parade, regiments would showcase their horsemanship, their preparedness for war, and their loyalty to the Emirate. Today, Durbar has become a festival celebrated in honour 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). The Durbar is always colorful as the horsemen adorn themselves in colourful robes, traditional turbans, ostrich feathers, and glittering swords. The horses are similarly decorated with colorful apparels.