Osun Osogbo Festival: Tourists, Devotees, Cultural Enthusiasts Storm Osun Grove

Tourists, devotees as well as cultural enthusiasts across the globe have stormed Osun grove for the final fiesta marking the grand finale of the annual Osun Osogbo festival in Osogbo the State capital of Osun.

 

A correspondent of OSUN DEFENDER covering the festival reports that it had always given a boost to socio- economic activities in the Osun capital and its environs.

 

Many Osun devotees were sighted singing and dancing on major roads in the city centre while others exhibited some cultural artifacts near the Osun grove.

 

Many devotees were also seen carrying plastic bottles and kegs and moving to the Osun River to fetch some water for spiritual purposes.

 

Recall that OSUN DEFENDER had yesterday reported that the state government warned devotees not to drink the water from the river as it had been contaminated.

 

OSUN DEFENDER correspondent sighted some masqueraders chanting incantations while shooting sporadically into the air with their dane guns to the admiration of onlookers.

 

Also a young maiden, Arugba, carried a calabash on her head to Osun River as a symbolic sacrifice to the river goddess.

 

Security personnel, including those of the NSCDC and Nigerian Police as well as FRSC were positioned at strategic locations within the capital city to ensure law and order as well as ease human and vehicular movement.

 

 

 

The Osun-Osogbo festival, whose history dates back to many centuries, is usually celebrated in an ancient grove believed to be among the last of the sacred forests still remaining among Yoruba cities.

 

In recognition of its global significance and cultural value, the Sacred Grove was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.