Annual Customs of Dahomey

Under Agaja, the Annual customs became the central religious ceremony in the kingdom, wide participation by most of the population was required, all family lineages were expected to provide gifts and tribute (sometimes considered taxes) to the ruler, and aspects of animal and human sacrifice were added to the practice.

In general, the celebration involved distribution of gifts, human sacrifice, military parades, and political councils.

Based on the traditional customs of gift-giving to eldest members of lineage lines, the population of the kingdom provided gifts or paid tribute to the king.

[5][6][7] Most of the victims were sacrificed through decapitation, a tradition widely used by Dahomean kings, and the literal translation for the Fon name for the ceremony Xwetanu is "yearly head business".

In this respect, scholar John C. Yoder has argued that the customs "served a political function similar to that of parliaments in Western countries", although still far from the open contests in democracies.

[1] The Great Council would convene at the annual customs and bring together important leaders from throughout Dahomey to discuss national policy.

[1] In addition, when a king died, his successor would have to include a significant ceremony in his honor to finish the funeral rites.