- Safiu Kehinde
Traditionalists and tourists have on Friday stormed Osun state to witness the grand finale of the 2026 Osun-Osogbo festival.
The annual event which traditional event had again seen Osun worshippers from different parts of the world converge in Osogbo, Osun state’s capital city, to pay homage to the river goddess.
Notable event that marked the celebration is the procession of the Arugba, a young virgin saddled with the responsibility of taking the sacred calabash to the sacred Osun groove.
The virgin leading this year’s sacred procession with the symbolic calabash was 10-year-old Princess Alimot Moredeke Ajoke Osunbunmi.
Videos shared on X showed moment Osunbunmi carried the calabash for the first time since her emergence as the new arugba in 2025.
The young girl was heavily guarded by Osun priests and priestess as she made her way to the grove while others followed.
The Osun-Osogbo Festival is an annual Yoruba cultural and religious festival held in Osogbo, Osun State.
The festival is centred around the Osun Sacred Grove, which is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
The centuries-old festival attracts traditional worshippers, tourists, researchers and cultural enthusiasts from Nigeria and other parts of the world.
According to reports, the 2026 edition is scheduled to run from August 7 to August 19, with traditional rites, cultural performances, drumming, dancing and other activities forming part of the programme.
The festival traces its roots to the early history of Osogbo, with Yoruba tradition holding that the Osun River goddess established a spiritual relationship with the founders of the community.