Next: about 27 Aug to 7 Sept 2027
Osun-Osogbo Festival
The August festival at Osogbo in Nigeria that honours the river goddess Osun, with offerings carried to the sacred grove.
About Osun-Osogbo Festival
The Osun-Osogbo festival is held each August in Osogbo, in south-western Nigeria, over about two weeks, and honours Osun, the Yoruba orisha of the river, fertility and healing. It culminates in a procession in which the Arugba, a young woman chosen from the royal family, carries a calabash of offerings through the town to the river in the sacred grove, followed by the Ataoja, the king, and crowds of followers. The grove is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and one of the last remnants of dense forest in the region, and its shrines were revived from the 1950s with the help of the Austrian artist Susanne Wenger. Followers hold that the goddess answers requests for children, for health and for the safety of the town, and the festival draws devotees from Brazil, Cuba and the United States as well.
Also part of it, and being written: Osun-Osogbo (The sacred grove and the festival.), Orisha (The class of spirits Osun belongs to.).
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Osun-Osogbo" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family, and are described as belief and practice. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.