It has become a tradition among the youth from Katsina to travel to the ancient city of Kano for every Sallah celebration. The occasion, among other things, afford them the opportunity to witness the colouful hawan sallah (durbar).
The durbar begins with prayer, followed by a colourful parade of the Emir and his entourage on horses, accompanied by musicians and ending in the emir’s palace.
The durbar in Katsina, usually staged for two days every Sallah, attracts both people from within and the neighboring Niger Republic. The occasion also affords the youth to meet with their classmates, old friends, and acquaintances.
“Our love for durbar has no bounds,” says Abubakar Danmallam, a retired civil servant in Abuja. “It is expected that Muslims wear their best cloths on the eid day, but youth in Katsina wear theirs on the durbar day.”
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE gathered that it is this love for durbar that compel many Katsina youth to travel to Kano to witness durbar in the ancient city.
“Katsina celebrates Sallah for just two days, while Sallah is celebrated in Kano for almost a week, and there is durbar almost every day. So, Katsina youth used to proceed to Kano to join in the celebration of Sallah for the remaining days,” says Ma’azu Mashi, a medical doctor with the Federal Medical Centre.
“Some of the youths stay for about three to four days, while others usually go to Kano and back to Katsina every day, which is a journey of about 175 kilometers.”
But Nasir Abba Ali, a resident of Kasina, doesn’t see the issue of travelling to Kano for Sallah as solely young people’s affair.
“As you are seeing me here I am not that young and am a very busy person but I still find time to go to Kano every Sallah, “he said. “Sometimes I don’t have money to go but I will go and borrow money so that I’ll not miss it. I normally spend two to three days in Kano during Sallah.”
For Ibrahim Ibrahim, a resident of Galadanchi quarters in Kastina metropolis, the unique way durbar is being conducted in Kano and the number of days earmark for Sallah celebration endear Katsina youths.
“If you take a good look at Katsina, Sallah is being celebrated for only two days and the only side attractions are during eid day and Bariki,” Ibrahim said. “While in Kano there is eid day, Daushe, Nasarawa, then after a day you have Doroyi, which makes four days in total.”
“Another reason is Kano Emir used to ride two to three horses in one Sallah occasion. Maybe if he goes to eid with a white horse he will come back with a black horse or brown; while in Katsina the Emir use one horse throughout, even though there are plenty of horses for him to mount.
“Changing horses during durbar, dawakin zage, is one of the things that add glamour to the occasion, and it has become part of the culture in Kano,” he added.
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE also gathered that there are other side attractions in Kano that attract Katsina youth to troops to Kano to celebrate Sallah.
“I have a routine when I travel with my female friends. We used to go to the zoo, and from there we proceed to Tiga-dam or Minjibir park where we will spend the whole of the evening,” Ibrahim said. “But if I travel with my male friends, we just go and watch the durbar and come back to Katsina.”