The Dance of the Fon, or Dance of the Flutes, is an annual event held each December in the Fondom of Bafut, Cameroon, since 1516. For one week, the villagers perform traditional dances, sacrifices to honour their ancestors and spirits. The village nobles play traditional flutes and fire guns to mark the proceedings. It is the climactic point of the annual ritual cycle, and is supposed to signify the death and rebirth of the year. The ethnic dance is performed in traditional dress. The structure of the dance is based on a ring ceremony.