A young man in Yoruba traditional attire during the Olojo Festival, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.
The Olojo festival commemorates the descent of Oduduwa to Ile-Ife, the celebration of the first dawn, the first afternoon, and the first night in creation. That makes the Olojo festival, one of the oldest in Africa, celebrated all over Yorubaland. It celebrates the dawn of the first day of existence on earth. There is a parallel between this and the Judeo-Christian theology of creation, conceived with the divine proclamation: “Let there be light.” According to tradition, Ooni prepares for the festival with a visit to Ile mole shrine in Moore for prayers and then proceeds on a seven-day seclusion to commune with the ancestors for the welfare of the people. In his absence, the palace is tidied and rid of evil. The people count days when the heir (Arole) of Oduduwa will reap¬pear in public with the sacred crown called Ade Aare. On the day of the festival, he reappears in the afternoon to a rousing welcome. After hosting the traditionalists and visitors, he goes into his chamber to put on the King’s Crown which, according to mythology, was the crown on Odudu¬wa’s head when he was descending to the earth. The crown–Ooni’s claim to the supreme kingship of Yorubaland–is displayed to the public only once a year. That display is the climax of the Olojo Day celebration. However, a ritual has to be performed before the crown, reportedly weighing 50kg, is presented to the public. The king reappears amid cheers and prayers from his subjects. With his crown on his head, he leads a procession of traditional chiefs and priests to the shrine at Oke Mogun––the spot believed to be the place where the first dawn came into existence––to pray. Divination for the Ooni at the foot of Oketage hill is conducted by Araba, the chief priest. There, traditional chiefs, totting their staff of office marked with chalk and camwood, appear in ceremonial attire and dance to the rhythms of Bembe, a traditional drum, each to a different beat and song. Ooni alone dances to the Osirigi drum.
Size: 3840px × 5760px
Location: Osun State, Nigeria.
Photo credit: © OMONIYI AYEDUN OLUBUNMI / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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