The Ọ̀ṣun Òṣogbo Festival in Nigeria….

The festival of Ọ̀ṣun Òṣogbo is a vow renewal between a goddess and her descendants.

The festival renews the contract between humans and the divine: Osun offers grace to the community; in return, it vows to honor her Sacred Grove.

Ọ̀ṣun Òṣogbo (pronounced OR-SHOON OH-SHOW-GBOH) is a 14-day festival held in South West Nigeria’s Osun State every August. 

It builds up and culminates in a massive procession from the Ataoja’s (the King) palace to the main Osun shrine, where rituals with sacred objects carried by the Arugba (the votary maid) are conducted.

Here are some key elements of the festival to note;

The priests and Priestesses:

Priests and Priestesses wear white robes and plait their hair in honour of Osun, the orisa (the deity of fertility).

Bells for the goddess:

When offering prayers, the priest(esses) use the brass or bronze bell called aaja to draw the attention of the goddess. 

The waters of life:

Believers of the deity believe that the Osun river water is sacred and that the orisa helps those who take her water, called agbo by the devotees will experience healing from ailmemts of all sorts.

Brothers in deity visits:

Traditionalists from all over the country, continent and the world take part in the procession and subsequent rituals. Most frequently are the Eyo Masquerades from Lagos State (Nigeria’s commercial capital) who represent the spirits of the dead.

Rituals before and after the procession:

Ceremonies in the days before and after the procession include the ritual cleansing of the town, the lighting of the 16-flamed lamp of Osanyin (a deity) and rituals to honour past and present kings, among others.

Although the numbers are not formally recorded, it is said that tens of thousands of people join the procession each year. 

If you’re a practitioner of traditional religion, you might want to fix August in your calendar as the month to visit and take part in the Osun Oshogbo festival.

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