6 Key Facts About Osun Osogbo Festival

Apart from the fact that the Osun
Osogbo festival is celebrated annually
in Osun State of Nigeria, what else do
you know about this cultural festival
of the Yoruba people? Well, here are
six facts you need to know today
about Osun Osogbo 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.
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.
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.