Ile-Ife and its Most Revered Festival

Culture  is  perceived  as  a  way  of  life  or  the  totality  of  all human  efforts  and  achievements  in  the  struggle  for  survival  in  the  midst  of  unfriendly  and militant  forces  of  nature‟.

A  people’s  way of  life  refers  to  such characteristics  as  customs,  traditions,  ceremonies,  rites,  rituals,  language  and  style  of dressing.  These  ways  of  life  envelopes,  guides,  governs  and  demarcates  each  society  from another. 

Cultural  practices  such  as  festivals,  funerals,  traditional  theatre,  storytelling, initiation,  and  so on  become  ceremonial.  Some come  up  annually;  daily  or  periodically. One  common  thing  about  these  African  traditional  performances  is  that  they  involve  the whole  community.

It is generally accepted that tradionally, Ile-Ife is the cradle of Yorubas, the city of survivors, spiritual seat of the Yorubas and land of the ancients.

Ile-Ife has diverse cultural festivals that they celebrate annually, which among them is OLOJO festival. There are also prominent ancestors that are also deified and worshiped like Oduduwa, Oranmiyan and Oluorogbo. There were 401 deities that resided in the ancient city of Ile-Ife. 

Olojo Festival is the remembrance of Ogun, god of iron. It is the biggest annual festival of the Ifes. This is in remembrance of Ogun, the god of iron. Ogun was the first son of Oduduwa.

No one has been able to determine the inception of Olojo festival but it is said to be between 11th and 15th century and the celebration usually begins in the middle of October each year.

Olojo literally means “Owner of the day”. The Olojo festival is a programme, marked with great pomp and pageantry. It is celebration occasioned by prayers, songs, dancing and merry-making.

However, before the festival commences proper, the reigning king, Ooni of Ife would go incommunicado or into seclusion for a period of seven days to communicate with the 401 deities that resided in the ancient city of Ile-Ife.

On this day, the Ooni (king of Ife) appears after several days of seclusion and denial communing with the ancestors and praying for his people. This is to make him pure and ensure the efficacy of his prayers.

Before the Ooni emerges, women from his maternal and paternal families sweep the Palace, symbolically ridding the Palace of evil.

The Ooni later appears in public with the Are crown (King’s Crown), which is believed to be the original crown used by Oduduwa to lead a procession of traditional Chiefs and Priests to perform at the Shrine of Ogun. Ooni wears this crown once in a year only during this Olojo festival to lead his people to Okemogu shrine.

The LOKOLOKOs are his body guards during the Olojo Festival. Time for the festival is indicated by the sun’s movement in the month of October from the West to the East. Only the Olojo chief priest identifies the particular day to celebrate the festival.