Osun Osogbo Sacred Groove

The Osun Osogbo Sacred Groove is a tourist attraction located in the city of Osogbo in Osun State, Nigeria. It is popularly known for it's uniqueness which is a sacred forest in the river banks of the Osun River.

According to long aged reports from the early history of the of the Osogbo people is founded on the mythical on spiritual beliefs along the lines of the tradition of the Yoruba people. The Osun Rive Goddess is credited with the founding and establishment of the Osogbo town. The Osogbo town is known for it's Osun Osogbo Festival which has been on for about 600 hundred centuries, it is usually celebrated every year by the people in the month of August at the groove, it was initiated out of the relationship between the river goddess Osun and  the first Monarch of the Osogbo kingdom Oba Gbadewolu Laroye.

The yearly festival always attract tourist from all walks of life, Osun worshipers, and spectators. The aim of the festival is for celebration, to cleanse the land called 'Iwopopo', the cultural reunion of the people with their ancestors and founders of the Osogbo kingdom.

The festival is a 2 week programme which starts with the traditional cleansing of the town called the 'Iwopopo', which is followed in 3 days by the lighting of the 500 year old, 16 point lamp called 'Ina Olojumerindinlogun' after which come the 'iboriade', an assemblage of the crowns of the past ruler, Ataoja of Osogbo and the Arugba, Yeye Osun and a committee of priestesses.

Over the years, the indigenous people have traditionally taken up the responsibility of taking care of the groove, using the myths and belief system which cannot just be carried out by an ordinary individual. This prevents any form of encroachment regarded as sacrilegious and encroachment to the gods and the goddess. The groove was taken into cognizance by UNESCO in 2005 as a world heritage site and has been linked to the consistencies that the festival has enjoyed over the years.

The Osun Osogbo festival has been a huge success in Nigeria and the world for centuries, it is worldly recognized and celebrated, there have been reports from the indigence that the Osun river helps in curing diseases and gives children to the motherless. It has been a beauty to the land and to the people.

Culled from the en.wikipedia.org
Image Credit: Osun.gov.ng