Festivals

Ooni Prayers Highlight Start of Olojo Festival in Ile-Ife

Published

1 year ago

September 27, 2025

Ooni concludes seclusion at Olojo Festival, offering prayers for Nigeria’s unity, peace, and prosperity as celebrations continue in Ile-Ife

Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, CFR, Ojaja II, offered heartfelt prayers for peace, unity, and prosperity across Nigeria as thousands of residents, tourists, and dignitaries celebrated his reappearance.

Also read: Olojo Festival 2025 Begins in Ile Ife With Rich Traditions

The monarch’s seclusion, an age-old rite, is a sacred period of isolation in which the Arole Oduduwa withdraws from public life to commune with ancestors, cleanse the land, and intercede for his people.

Palace officials described his emergence as a “terrestrial message to the world.”

Speaking after his retreat, the Ooni explained that his solitude was dedicated to supplications for Nigerians from all walks of life.

“I prayed for families, for widows, for our leaders, and for everyone seeking divine help,” he said, stressing that the prayers extended to all communities nationwide.

Themed *“Cultural Rebirth”*, the 2025 Olojo Festival began on Thursday, 25 September, with traditional games, a cultural talent hunt, and a colloquium. The Ooni’s emergence on 26 September coincided with cleansing rituals symbolising renewal for the Yoruba nation.

On Saturday, 27 September, the Ooni will don the sacred Aare crown, believed to be the original crown of Oduduwa, progenitor of the Yoruba race.

Other highlights include the Ojo Ajaye Grand Royal Reception, the Adire Oduduwa Cultural Exchange Exhibition, and the Ooni’s Ife Award for Community Service 2025.

The celebrations will close on Monday, 29 September, with ancestral rites and the final stage of the cultural talent hunt.

Also read: Osun State Pledges Global Recognition for Olojo Festival

For many Nigerians, the Ooni’s seclusion and prayers transcend tradition, reinforcing his role as a cultural custodian, spiritual father, and symbol of hope in a time of economic and social strain.

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Culture

OLOJO….Ile Ife’s September Gift To Culture

Published

2 days ago

October 5, 2026

Mariam Balogun

By Halima Adaba,

It was a featubal if the people. It was for the anciebt town of Ile Ife, which the Yoruba race refards as the Source.

Also read: Olojo Festival 2026: Ooni Urges Leaders to Prioritise Citizens

And ut was a festivsl for the King, Arole Oduduwa, Oonirisa, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.

And so between September 24 and 28th 2026, the annual featuval dazzjed in all its white glory.

Tge Monarch paid the traditional ancestral homage and offered propitiation as part of the sacred rites of the Olojo Festival.
It was a powerful expression of Yoruba heritage, spirituality, and enduring tradition.

Call it a collection of beautiful moments, faces, colours and cultural expressions.

Every frame tells a story.

Every face carries the energy.

Every moment keeps the heritage alive.

Undoubtedly one of the most sacred cultural celebrations in Ilé-Ifẹ̀. It marked a day associated with creation, thanksgiving, ancestral heritage, and the sacred appearance of the Ooni of Ife wearing the revered Aàrẹ crown.

There were also the devotees of the famed god of thunder – Sàngó who were hardly conspicuous at the festival.

Many other traditional groups came out with candor, showing a powerful expression of Yoruba cultural identity, spiritual devotion, and respect for the ancient traditions of Ilé-Ifẹ̀.

Devotees of Sàngó bekieved the ‘appearance’ of the god of thunder on Seotember 26th could be understood as a symbolic meeting of ancestral heritage, spiritual devotion, and the celebration of creation.

It was a moment when the sounds of drums, chants, and traditional praise poetry brought the history of the Yoruba people to life.

Although Olojo is closely associated with Ogun, the god of iron, and the sacred traditions of Ile-Ife, the presence of Sàngó devotees reflected the rich diversity of Yoruba spiritual heritage.

Also read: Olojo Festival 2026: Ooni Urges Leaders to Prioritise Citizens

As a participant enthused at the festival, “To witness Sàngó Olúkòso emerge on Olojo Festival day is to witness a living expression of history, identity, and ancestral pride.”