History of Osun Osogbo Festival -Southwest Nigeria

Osun Osogbo Festival is done annually by Osun worshipers all over the world. They take pilgrimage to the forest every year during the festival which usually takes place in August. Tourist all over the world also come down to witness the festival.

The people of the ancient city of Osogbo consider the month of August as the month of celebration. Traditionally it is a month of cultural reunion with the ancestors and the founding fathers of Osogboland.

festival has a history of more than 700 years. The story behind the Osun Osogbo festival is about a group of people who were led by a great hunter. The group decided to settle on the bank of the river, to save themselves from famine. Once Osun the goddess appeared from the water in front of Olutimehin (a leading hunter). Read more: https://www.naija.ng/1184136-osun-osogbo-festival-2018-date-history.html#1184136

The festival begins annually with iwopopo (traditional cleansing of the town, followed thrre days later by lightning of over 600-year old sixteen point lamp.

The prominent figure of the festival is the Arugba, meaning calabash carrier, She carries the calabash which contains the sacrifice for the goddess of the river on her head and take it down to the river. The arugba is also seen as a goddess.

Susanne Wenger played an important role in the popularization of this festival. From the early 1950’s she works on the restoration of cultural elements of the festival. She was an Austrian born artist who made over 75 sculptures of local gods, she worked to save the sacred groves around the secret river.

Osun Groove Isale Osun Osogbo