Nigeria is rich in its culture and tradition. It is one of the things it takes pride in. Given that, every ethnic group, in the ancient days, has rules that the society live by to keep the land clean and orderly. The Yorubas which form a large percentage of the population uphold their traditions, failure to adhere to them can lead to grave sanctions and punishments. Such disobedience was regarded as taboos and abominations, they were supposed to be unheard of.
These taboos are things that must never be done in Yorubaland, though some are not peculiar to the Yoruba people. These include:
1. Adultery
Yoruba culture forbids a married woman to have sexual relations with a man that isn’t her husband. A man that suspects his wife of cheating could be tempted to lace her with magun, which is one of the strangest traditions in Nigeria. Magun could lead to her lover losing his life or getting stuck while in the act. This taboo is more critical against women than against men.
2. A king and his crown
Kings in Yorubaland are forbidden from looking inside of their royal crown. A king must wear a crown but he must never peep into it. The day he does it is the day he will join his ancestors. Kings could be allowed to do this if they insist on committing suicide.
3. A strapped baby must not fall from his mother’s back
It is an abomination in Yorubaland for a baby to fall from its mother’s back. It is believed that if a male child falls from his mother’s back, he will always lose his wife in adulthood, while for a female, she will always have a lover die atop her when she grows up. If a baby does fall from its mother’s back, the mother is expected to carry out some rituals to prevent evil from happening to the child when it grows.
4. Suicide
Committing suicide is a serious abomination in Yorubaland, and the body must not be lowered down until some sacrifices are performed to appease the gods. The body of such an individual will be thrown into the evil forest or outside the town to avoid invoking the anger of the gods on the land. The family of an individual that commits suicide will be labelled and stereotyped forever in the community.
5. Unclean food
It is generally considered unclean to consume dog meat, pork, and cat meat among others. While many Yorubas will never taste dog meat but gladly consume African rabbit (Okete), the Ondo people consider Okete an abomination but will gladly eat dog meat with big appetite.
6. Lebianism and homosexuality
This is forbidden in Yorubaland. Although many people practice it in Nigeria and the world at large, it is still considered an abomination in Yorubaland.
7. Whistling
Men and women are not allowed to whistle at nights in Yorubaland. Whistling at nights is believed to invite demons and evil spirits into the house to torment people. It is also believed that whistling could attract snakes and reptiles into the house at night.