Agbada
A voluminous, wide-sleeved flowing robe worn over a matching tunic and trousers, the formal dress of Yoruba and Hausa men for the most significant occasions.
Does your family know it this way?
The names it answers to
- AgbadaYoruba
- Babban rigaHausa
MEANING
Its sheer volume of fabric was historically a display of means; a finely embroidered agbada in heavy cloth signals both occasion and standing.
The embroidery at the neckline and pocket, often dense and hand-worked, is its own mark of craftsmanship and cost.
Meanings are plural by design: your family may hold another. Dispute or add below; disagreement is recorded, never erased.
Colour, pattern & material
When it is worn
Who wears it, and may I?
Yoruba and Hausa men, for weddings, Friday prayers, chieftaincy events, and other formal occasions.
Who wears this
- Variant: Babban riga is the Hausa name for essentially the same garment form.
Provenance
- generated: 2026-07-10
- source: Model-knowledge aggregation pass (2026-07-10); unverified, awaiting community affirmation.
This entry is a hypothesis awaiting its people. If your family holds or wears this differently, that difference is exactly what we want recorded.
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