[1] The alounloun was established for the royal court in the Porto-Novo area; it was initially a symbol of the king's power that was later transformed into a musical instrument.
Roman Catholic evangelism and the Vatican II Council led Father Francis Aupiais, parish priest of Porto-Novo in the 1930s, to inaugurate an Epiphany procession through the city.
[3] Today the alounloun is used to play a type of music called adjogan in formal, royal ceremonies.
Adjogan music is also used in Catholic churches in the Porto-Novo area; in this case the royal insignia on the staff is changed from a bird crest to a Christian cross.
[citation needed] The alounloun is a finely worked iron bar about one meter long, covered in copper with rings that manually slide up and down the stick to produce music.