The sacred Osun Osogbo Festival is an annual cultural event held in Osun State (Of Yoruba Kingdom) in Nigeria.
The event attracts spectators and worshippers from all over the world in the month of August every year.
The festival (which is organised in first 2 weeks of August) usually commences with a rite called “Iwopopo”, the traditional cleansing of the town.
The cleansing is followed in three days by the lighting of a 500-year-old sixteen-point lamp called “Ina Olojumerindinlogun”.
On August 9 there’s a unique assemblage and display of crowns of the past Ataojas of Osogbo for blessings.
The two week festival ends with a sacrificial offering at the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove.
The Yoruba people are the predominant ethnic group in South Western Nigeria.
They are believed to have originated from ancient Ile-Ife.
The Origin of the Powerful Yoruba People and The Mystic of Oduduwa.
Ile Ife, also known as Ife, is an ancient Yoruba city in the southwestern part of Nigeria.
Ile Ife was founded around 500 B.C. and is the oldest Yoruba city.
It is presently part of Osun State and has an estimated population of 501,000 people.
Their traditions are closely linked to nature.
There is a strong belief in the Supreme Being God of all creations, called Olorun or Olodumare, and over 200 lesser gods, called Orisa.
Many of these gods are represented by natural creations in the environment.
For example, Sango is the god of thunder, Yemoja, the goddess of the sea and fish, Oya who was Sango’s most devoted wife and goddess of the storm.
In Yoruba mystical cosmology, Osun was said to have metamorphosed into a river as a result of a misunderstanding between her and “Oba”, a co-wife of Sango.
The Osun River takes its source from Igede-Ekiti, flows through Ilesha to Osogbo town and empties itself in the Atlantic Ocean.
Her “waters of life” is strongly believed to have healing, divination, protective and fertility powers.
But it is also believed that the goddess (of fertility) inhabits the grove while the river meanders within the grove called the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove.
The early Osogbo people were Ijesha from Ipole-Omu in Obokun area where they were faced with harsh living conditions of drought and famine which prevented them from abundant water for farming and domestic use.
This condition tempted them to want to migrate to a better area for more comfortable living.
In search of a better condition of life, Olutimehin the legendary Yoruba elephant hunter discovered the grove during one of his hunting expeditions.
Having discovered the grove, reported back to Larooye the King and suggested that Larooye should establish his kingdom in the grove, Larooye was the Owaroki (King) of Ipole-Omu, a settlement built on a hilly area (acropolis) surrounded by a trench dug to protect the community from attacks by other tribes.
It is important to state that King Larooye 1 who was already reigning with the title Owaroki have been ruling a thriving community at Ipole-Omu.
This implies that Osogbo people, kingship and tradition including their culture pre-date the present site.
This means that Osogbo people did not begin or exist historically from the present site.
They have existed right from Ipole-Omu and carried their cultural traditions and other paraphernalia from their original abode to the present site and location of both Osun riverside and Ode-Osogbo.
Until the early nineteenth century Osogbo played practically no role in Yoruba politics.
Situated upon the old Oyo/Ijesha boundary, the town stood in the shadow of ilesa.
With the collapse of Oyo and the subsequent struggle to fill the resulting powers, the Fulani coming from the north advancing southwards and the Ibadan marching northwards, determined to stem Fulani armies clashed in around 1830 in the Legendary battle of Osogbo, during which the Ibadan troops defeated the Fulani army.
In Osogbo itself, the defeat is credited not to military strength of Ibadan army but to power of Osun!!!
According to one version, Osun gave warning of an imminent Fulani attack by making a carving fall in Osun shrine at the palace.
Other versions tell how the deity turned into a food vendor who sold the Fulani poisoned bean cakes, which killed many in the Fulani army and successfully ended their advance.
These successes of the past are acknowledged and renewed annually by the Osogbo community during what is now called the Osun-Osogbo international festival.
Year in year out, the annual Osun Osogbo international festival keeps recording new dimension in the areas of attendance and planning of the event.
In spite of the influence of the Western Culture and Religion, the festival has to a very reasonable extent maintained its originality, authenticity and acceptability among nations worldwide
Tourists from far and near, both foreign and non-foreign devotees’ participant, corporate partners, irrespective of their religious beliefs, equally add more glamour to the yearly celebration of the festival.
The celebration of the annual Osun-Osogbo festival transcends various eras right from when it was only known to the Yoruba people of Nigeria down to this day when the cultural festival has now gained world acclaim and even celebrated beyond the shores of Africa.
The popularity and robust nature of the festival can be attributed to many factors which makes the celebration transcends beyond idol worshipping.
The festival began approximately 700 years ago.
It was started by the founders of the Osogbo community.
According to oral tradition the founders intended to clear all the trees in the area for settlement.
As soon as they began felling the trees, a spirit from the river-goddess Osun ordered them to stop!
Immediately the place turned to be a sacred place of worship for the devotees.
Osun – is often represented as a picturesque woman dressed in white or yellow – boasting a beautiful smile but truly broken-hearted.
During the festival, people appease the goddess daily for two weeks with different performances which include playing the drums, singing, and dancing.
During the singing and dancing, the people show off their costumes.
During the festival, devotees are led by a virgin maiden called Arugba who is a link between the community and deity.
The virgin maiden leads in all sacrifices offered in the river.
The Arugba (virgin maiden) carries all the sacrifices (flowers, honey, gold etc) of the community and for all those in attendance.
The tradition dictates that these sacrifices be carried in a big calabash.
Before all this happens, the worshippers offer a special prayer in the shrine of a priestess.
The Osun-Osogbo Festival is now an international event.
It attracts foreigners who see it as a cultural and religious connection.
Tourists from Cuba, Yugoslavia and Slovenia form the majority of Orisha devotees.
Over the years, foreigners have confessed openly about the importance of this festival.
Across social media and television platforms, most of them have expressed their gratitude after receiving blessings.
When Nigeria was under the British colonies, missionaries tried to wipe out animist (totemic) beliefs but to no success.
During that time, rituals included human sacrifice.
This was however stopped by the authorities after many years. (From the 1900s)
In the 1950’s, Ms Wenger, an Austrian born artist and activist, divorced her husband on arriving in Nigeria.
She decided to stay in the Osogbo for the rest of her life until she died in 2009.
At that time, she was 93.
The festival started gaining popularity in the 1980’s with Ms Wenger at the leading line with activist activities.
She was then nicknamed Adunni Olorisha.
In 2003, UNESCO recognised 67 acres of virgin forest that was remaining in Yorubaland as a world heritage.
