Egúngún appear in annual or biennial festivals held by Yoruba-speaking peoples to honour the ancestors and request their blessings. The Egúngún in the Brighton collection consists of an elaborately layered costume made up of panels of embroidered, appliquéd textiles. The layering is a mark of the owner's prestige; it also makes the transformation of the dancer possible. Skilled and energetic dancing results in the cloth panels flaring out, exposing the multiple layers and coloured under-surfaces, and completely transforming the appearance of the Egúngún. The movement of these cloths generate what researchers have termed a "breeze of blessing" through the crowd.

The identity of the dancer is concealed - Egúngún can be translated as "powers concealed" - the work of the performer is to bring the costume to life and in doing so, to lose his identity in that of the ancestor whose powers will be brought forward.

Men perform the Egúngún; women participate in the ritual dances and sing praise poems.

"Believed to be the embodiment of ancestral sprits, an important context for these masks is to provide a farewell visit following the death of any senior men in families that belong to the mask society. A few weeks after the burial, a mask will emerge from the dead man's room, dressed in his old clothes, to rebuke any quarrelling family members, say farewell to his wives and children, and perhaps accuse someone of responsibility in his death. Other Egúngún perform at an annual town festival, parading thorough the streets with a gang of followers, often surrounded by a posse of excited young men, with sticks who chase and beat each other and youths in the crowd. As embodiments of the ancestors, the more important of these masks are thought by many to have healing powers and often women who are having problems, especially relating to fertility, will kneel and supplicate the spirit for assistance. Small gifts of money are made to the mask's attendants, and if the problem is subsequently resolved a chicken or some other sacrifice may be given. Certain masks will achieve reputations for successful intercession and ay accumulate a growing power, visibly represented on the mask itself by a growing encrustation of black sacrificial residues." (D. Clarke 1998)