Egúngún (Masquerade)

Egungun (Yoruba language: Egúngún, also known as Ará Ọ̀run; "the collective dead") in the broadest sense is any Yoruba masquerade or masked, costumed figure. More specifically, it is a Yoruba masquerade for ancestor reverence, or the ancestors themselves as a collective force. Eégún is the reduced form (abbreviation through syllable elision) of the word egúngún and has the same meaning. Egungun is a visible manifestation of the spirits of departed ancestors who periodically revisit the human community for remembrance, celebration, and blessings.