Some Nigerians living in the United Kingdom were the cynosure of all eyes on Monday, September 19, 2022, as they paid their last respects to the longest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II, who died recently.
The queen’s coffin was lowered into the royal vault at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, England.
The funeral attracted about 500 foreign dignitaries, including royals, presidents and head of states. Nigeria was represented by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo.
However, beyond the main ceremony, many people bade farewell to the queen in their own ways. Not one to be founding in things of this nature, some Nigerian women wore uniform batik-patterned outfits, popularly called aso ebi, which bore the image of the queen.
‘Aso ebi’ is an amalgamation of two Yoruba words ‘aso’ meaning cloth, and ‘ebi’ meaning family. It is usually worn as a ‘uniform’ during social events such as funerals, birthdays and weddings.
According to Owanbe UK, a Britain-based pan-African lifestyle page on Facebook, the attire was made (in Nigeria) and sent to the UK in four days.
The outfits were admired by several foreigners, who lauded the women for their creative way of celebrating the late queen.
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