The Osun-Osogbo Festival in Nigeria
We love Nigeria. So many of our valued customers come from this amazing country - and we’re always more than happy to look into the many different aspects of Nigerian culture, history and life in general. We relish sharing what we find with you, in all our different articles: from Know your Nigeria to the Nigerian community in London, and Daps: the British-Nigerian director to 7 famous Nigerians.
On this occasion, we’re looking at the Osun-Osogbo Festival in Nigeria: a festival that’s a huge part of the indigenous Yoruba religious tradition. The Yoruba religion began in West Africa, and became one of the ten largest religions in the world with up to 100 million practitioners. We’ll look at exactly what the festival is; its history, and how it’s celebrated. Read on, to get that festival feel.
Table of contents
WorldRemit Content Team
• 4 mins read • Updated
What is the Osun-Osogbo Festival in Nigeria?
The Osun-Osogbo Festival is a two-week-long annual festival that’s usually held in August at the Oṣun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, on the banks of the Osun river. The festival takes place to honour the goddess Osun (also Oshun, Ochún, and Oxúm). But who is Osun? She’s one of 401 Yoruba gods, and an important river deity among the Yorùbá people. She’s also the goddess of divinity, femininity, fertility, beauty and love, and is connected to destiny and divination.
Osun is also the patron saint of the Osun river in Nigeria: the river which bears her name. It flows through the city of Osobo, where the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, the principal sanctuary of the deity can be found.
How is the Osun-Osogbo Festival celebrated?
The Osun Festival is a two-week-long program attended by thousands of people. In fact, many hundreds of devotees make the pilgrimage from across the globe; mainly from South America and the Caribbean where Yorùbá religious traditions were passed down to the descendants of slaves, including in Brazil, Cuba, and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as many African Americans.
It starts with the traditional cleansing of the town Osogbo called 'Iwo Popo', which is followed in three days by the lighting of the 500-year-old sixteen-point lamp called 'Ina Olojumerindinlogun'.
Procession to shrine
The festival culminates in a huge procession from the Ataoja’s (the town's king) palace to the main Osun Shrine, where rituals with the sacred objects carried by the Arugbá (the votary maid) are conducted.
During the procession the streets of Osogbo are filled with drumming, dancing and celebration, as thousands begin the mile-long walk from the city centre to the Sacred Grove. At mid-morning the Arugba (votary maid) steps out from her shrine, hidden beneath a canopy, and carries the sacrificial offerings to the river.
This procession celebrates the renewal of the pact agreed between the goddess Osun and the town's mythical founder. The Ataoja is the traditional ruler of Osogbo, and as such the host of the festival.
The history of Osun-Osogbo Festival
The Osun-Osogbo Festival dates back 600 years and was started by the founders of the Osogbo community. The story goes that they intended to clear all the trees in the area for settlement. But, as soon as they began cutting down the trees, Yeye Osun the river goddess appeared from the water in front of their leader, Olutimehin. She asked him to lead his people to a special place - the present-day Osogbo town.
In return for an annual sacrifice to her, the goddess promised to protect the group and bring them prosperity. How could they refuse? The group accepted the proposition, and today the annual sacrifice to the Osun River Goddess is still celebrated at the Osun-Osogbo Festival.
The importance of the Osun-Osogbo Festival
The Osun-Osogbo Festival has real significance to the people of Yorubaland of the southwestern part of Nigeria, and is widely known the world over particularly among the Yoruba diaspora. It’s a cultural festival that’s well documented and has contributed immensely to the classification of Osun Grove as a global cultural heritage site by UNESCO.
The Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria have a very rich culture of festivals and rituals. Through these festivals, important aspects of their cultures and histories are preserved and transmitted.
Although the Osun Osogbo festival is not the only traditional festival in Osogbo, it is the most famous and glamorous in Osogboland. In fact, the Osun festival has earned Osogbo the status of a cultural capital of Yorubaland, following IleIfe as the spiritual headquarters and cradle of Yorubaland.
In particular, the Osun goddess is everything to the people of Osogbo. She is the real founder, mother, protector, guard and the nurturer of the town. Therefore, the Ataoja celebrates the Osun festival in remembrance of his ancestors, and in fulfilment of the covenant between the goddess and his ancestors.
The Ataoja and the people of Osogbo also attach a great importance to the Osun Festival because it enables them to invoke the spirits of the goddess to continue giving divine protection to the town. It’s believed by the people that the goddess has played a key role in the protection and security of the town right from its early beginnings.
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The contents of this blog post do not constitute legal or financial advice and are provided for general information purposes only. If you require specific legal and / or financial advice you should contact a specialist lawyer or financial advisor. Information true at time of publishing.
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