THE ORIGIN AND CONCEPT OF ASOEBI
Aso Ebi is a yoruba word literally meaning ‘family cloth’ and is a term used to describe the uniform worn by a specific family or set of individuals during events or festive seasons .
It is an old culture which originated from the South Western part of Nigeria, the Yoruba tribe precisely where traditional woven fabrics known as ‘Aso Oke’ were worn as uniforms by certain groups or families.
Asoebi then was referred to as ‘Ankoo’ and ‘Aso egbejoda’, and is worn as an indication of solidarity, cooperation and acceptance among these groups. As demands for Aso Oke became more than could be met, fabrics like imported lace and Ankara came in handy to help meet Asoebi demands which soon became widely accepted and not too long after that, the concept of Asoebi crossed beyond the yoruba culture spreading to other parts of Nigeria, some other West African countries like Ghana, Republic of Benin and even the world at large.
Asoebi fabrics are designed into beautiful outfits worn to grace an event and in recent times, have been known to dictate class as well as the kind of treatment, gifts or sourvenirs you take home at a party.
The outfits are beautiful, colourful and worn most times with head gears (Gele). The fabric and/or colour of choice are often picked by the celebrant or the bride as the case may be.
The Asoebi trend has been widely accepted all over the world and has come to stay. Are you planning an event any time soon? It is of great importance that you carefully select your Asoebi fabric(s) and theme for your guests to look sharp and fabulous, making your event an unforgettable experience.
Tags: Asoebi, Nigerian culture, Origin of Asoebi, Traditional events, Traditional outfits, Yoruba, Yoruba culture