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IN OTHER NEWS
FACTS ABOUT THE OSUN OSHOGBO FESTIVAL
1. History of the Osun Osogbo Festival
The origin and story of Osun festival started over 700 years ago when a group of settlers led by one great hunter Olutimehin, settled at the bank of the river to escape the famine in their former dwelling place. Osun, the water goddess was said to have appeared to Olutimehin and requested him and his group to move up some bit to higher ground – the present Osogbo town.
The origin and story of Osun festival started over 700 years ago when a group of settlers led by one great hunter Olutimehin, settled at the bank of the river to escape the famine in their former dwelling place. Osun, the water goddess was said to have appeared to Olutimehin and requested him and his group to move up some bit to higher ground – the present Osogbo town.
Osun revealed herself to be the
goddess of the grove and of the river and pledged to protect the group and make
their women fruitful if only they would offer the annual sacrifice to her in
return. The group agreed and vowed to sacrifice annually to the goddess if she
would honour her vows. Today, the annual sacrifice has gone past just offering
sacrifices to a river goddess, it has become an international celebration of
cultural events attracting people from all over the world.
2. Osun Osogbo festival is an international cultural event
The Osun festival started as an
annual sacrifice to a river goddess, it later became a celebration of a river
goddess, but today an international celebration of cultural events with
attendees from all over the world. The Osun Osogbo festival is no longer a
cultural event of the Osogbo or Yoruba people, it has become a global event with
people attending from Cuba, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Spain,
Canada, and the United States.
Adherents or believers in the Osun
goddess travel from all over the world to attend the annual cultural event in
Osogbo, Osun State. The traditional ruler of Osogbo Town, the Ataoja of Osogbo
– HRM Oba Jimoh Olanpekun Larooye II, the Nigerian Tourism Development
Corporation (NTDC) representing the federal government, and the Osun State
government all collaborate to make the annual event a great success
3. The main festival
The Osun Osogbo festival usually
lasts for two weeks, and it is celebrated every year in August. The festival
commences with Iwopopo, the traditional cleansing of the town from evil, and
three days after this the Ina Olujumerindinlogun (16-point lamp), a
600-year-old is lighted. Following this is the Iboriade, an event where all the
crowns of the past kings or Ataojas are assembled for blessings by the sitting
Ataoja of Osogbo, the Arugba, the Yeye Osun, and a committee of priestesses
4. The Arugba
The Arugba (Calabash carrier) is the
key feature of the Osun Osogbo festival. She is a votary virgin (a cultural
version of the Virgin Mary) who bears the Osun calabash on her head; the
calabash contains sacrifice materials to appease and worship the Osun goddess
or river. The Arugba is not only seen as a virgin maid any longer, she is
regarded a goddess herself and people make prayers and cast all their problems
on her as she bears the calabash and passes on to lead the people to the river
The current Arugba, Osuntomi Oyetunji, is the young daughter of the sitting Ataoja of Osogbo. She took over from Abolade Oyewale, who carried the sacrifice calabash to the river goddess and was herself considered a goddess for 10 years.
The current Arugba, Osuntomi Oyetunji, is the young daughter of the sitting Ataoja of Osogbo. She took over from Abolade Oyewale, who carried the sacrifice calabash to the river goddess and was herself considered a goddess for 10 years.
5. It’s not only about the sacrifice
Do not think that the Osun Osogbo
festival is all about sacrifice in the Osun groves; it is also a celebration of
cultural events. Many business organizations and companies now take part in the
celebrations – seizing upon the opportunity to showcase their products and sell
their services. You can see branded cars, give-away shirts, and promotional
business activities ranging from advertising to marketing of new ideas and
existing goods
6. The festival was upgraded by Susanne Wenger
The story of the Osun Osogbo
festival would not be completed without mentioning the huge contributions of
Susanne Wenger, an Austrian who since the early 1950s devoted the rest of her
life to restoring the glory of abandoned shrines. She renovated the abandoned
shrines again and remodeled the gods in sculpture and ceramics, representing
over 75 cultural gods in artful representations.
Wenger stopped people from abusing
the integrity of the groves and prohibited hunting, fishing, felling of trees
in the grove, and she personally rebuilt the customary shrines and groves again
until her death. She had been briefly married to Horst Ulrich Beier, better
known as Ulli Beier in Nigeria for his pioneering works in literature, drama,
poetry, and visual arts
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