The Ooni of Ife, Arole Oduduwa, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II on Friday led thousands of Ifa adherents in the ancient city at the 2023 edition of the Annual World Ifa Festival.
Ifa Festival occupies an important position among several other traditional festivals celebrated annually in the ancient City of Ile-Ife, the cradle and spiritual headquarters of the entire Yoruba race.
Ifa, according to Yoruba religious beliefs, is the sacred voice of the supreme Eledumare which lightens the ways of mankind and offers them the pathways to all righteousness and guides into all truths.
The Festival is very significant as it marks the beginning of a new cycle in the Yoruba calendar. It is one annual moment when all Ifa devotees worldwide come together under one roof in celebration of their unity and as a form of pilgrimage to Ile-Ife, the holy city.
A central figure in this celebration is the Araba Agbaye who leads worshippers in performing relevant spiritual activities at important sacred spots in the city under the supreme authority of the Ooni, the custodian of all cultures and traditions.
The 2023 edition of the event kick-started on Monday 29th May with a press conference at Oke-Itase, the seat of the World Ifa temple as well as Ifa Vigil at Ooni's Palace.
The seven days event continued on Tuesday with the feeding of Ifa at Palace of Ooni and Wednesday witnessed the appeasement of some important deities namely Esu, Obatala, Olokun, Osara, Aje and Osun.
A special prayer for blessing was observed on Thursday June 1st led by the Araba Agbaye Oluisese, His Eminence, Owolabi Awodotun Aworeni and Friday witnessed a visit led by the Ooni to Oke Igeti, the ancestral home of Orunmila, the first Babalawo.
The Grand Finale is slated for Saturday, June 3rd with an open air Ifa service at Enuwa Square by 10am; visitations to shrines and grooves by 12pm as well as Ooni's visitation to Oke-Itase by 9pm.
Rounding it off on Sunday will be the casting of the Ifa of the year, a special Ifa service at Ooni's Palace by 7am as well as reporting of Ifa message of the year by 9am.
Pictures and video from the scene are shared below:
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