Osun Osogbo: Ataoja's ancient crown, shoes and staff of office being displayed during the Ibori Ade prayer at Ataoja's palace.
Among the adherents of African traditional religion, the Osun festival is a big august event in August. This annual celebration in honour of the Osun deity, is usually a tapestry of colourful gathering of Osun devotees from all over the world. On the D-Day of the festival, dubbed Osun Day, pilgrims from all over the world−comprising devotees, traditionalists, tourists, politicians and anthropologist−converge on the city of Osogbo, creating an epic panorama of colour and culture. Often preceded by a weeklong incessant rainfall, the festival is a of 21-day activities that culminates in the epic procession from the palace to the sacred grove, led by Arugba, the calabash-bearing votary maid. Some of the main activities that preceded Osun Day include Ibori Ade, Iwopopo and the lighting of the mystical 16-eye lantern on the eve of Osun day.
Size: 4928px × 3264px
Location: Osun State, Nigeria.
Photo credit: © OMONIYI AYEDUN OLUBUNMI / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: africa, african, afro-brazilians, ataoja, belief, black, brazilian, cap, city, crown, culture, destination, festival, goddess, hair, hairstyle, nigeria, nigerian, office, orisa, ornamentation, osogbo, osun, prayer, religion, religious, ritual, settlement, shoe, staff, state, tourism, town, traditional, travel, worshipper, worshippers, yoruba