When a child is born with Dada or Dreadlocks in Yoruba Land, it is believed that that child is born with riches and wealth. So, it is a double celebration for the parents of such a child. Children born with dreadlocks are treated with speciality because of this belief. So, the hair of such a child will not be combed until the he or she is ready to do so.
To cut off the dreadlocks for the child, a special day is set aside for this task. The ingredients used for the special task are pineapple, orange, banana, honey, a native sponge with traditional black soap, Aadun, sugar, a brand new scissors, salt, palm oil and a lit candle are put in a bathing water to offer the child some prayers.
While this is going on, the parents of the child must be prominent at the scene of this task. They are present to offer their child some prayers before the dreadlocks are shaved off. A gifted spiritualist is also invited to assist in appeasing the land and the special task.
The child is brought to kneel down before everyone when the prayers and the sacrifice were going on. And he should be responding to all the prayers offered unto him and his head with "Amen". This appeasement goes on with each item of the above mentioned ingredients used to touch the child's head while the prayers go on.
The climax of the whole event is to shave off the dreadlocks with the brand new scissors. A deep hole is dug to bury some part of the dreadlocks as the parents of the child reign a lot of prayers upon him or her. The remaining dreadlocks are kept with his or her mother to from time to time use them to pray for the child as time goes on in life.
After the whole exercise, the water with all things of appeasement like banana, pineapple, orange, Aadun, palm oil, sugar, salt and honey inside it are given to the to take a bath with a native sponge sponge and black soap. After cutting off the dreadlocks, all those said items were used to wash the head with black soap and a native sponge.
By Olalekan Oduntan
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