Good Time to Visit
Weather
The dry season in Nigeria runs from November to April, when the Harmattan wind blows from the Sahara. The rainy season is from March to November. Nights can be cold in December and January. More information may be found in Climate in Nigeria.
Visitors are advised to bring lightweight cottons and linens; a warm wrap may be good idea in the north. Waterproofs will be needed during the rainy season.
Festivals
Official public holidays include the main Christian and Muslim celebrations, together with Independence Day on 1 October. However, there are more than 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria, each with their own customs, traditions and events.
In the predominantly-Muslim north, the most important festival is Sallah, which takes place three months after the end of Ramadan. Each family slaughters a ram and festivities follow - with music, dance and horseback processions. Also in the north is the Durbar festival, which is celebrated at the culmination of the two great Muslim festivals Id el Fitri and Id el Kabir. In this festival, long lines of horsemen are led by a band. The horses are fitted with quilted armour, whilst the riders wear elaborate quilted coats elaborately and carry ceremonial swords.
Public Holidays
The following table shows the public holidays celebrated in Nigeria:
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day |
| March/April (variable) | Good Friday |
| March/April (variable) | Easter Monday |
| 1 May | Workers' Day |
| 1 October | Independence Day |
| 25-26 December | Christmas |
| Variable* | Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet) |
| Variable* | Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) |
| Variable* | Eid al-Kabir (Feast of the Sacrifice) |
* Although Muslim holidays always fall on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date they are celebrated on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year, due to the fact that the Islamic calendar is lunar whilst the Gregorian calendar is solar. Because this lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, Islamic holy days usually shift 11 days earlier each successive solar year. The method used to determine when each Islamic month begins also varies from country to country.