Ovia Osese Festival is one of the most cherished cultures of the Ogori people in Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi State. In Magongo, it is called Owuya Osese Festival. The festival is an initiation to womanhood. It is done for girls from 15 and above to welcome them to adulthood.
What is the Ovia Osese festival
As one of the annual activities of the Ogori people in KOGI STATE, the Ovia Osese festival symbolizes the passage of rite for females transforming from adolescence to womanhood. The Festival is aimed at promoting purity among young girls – who are expected to be virgins in other to qualify for such initiation. It has since become a thing of pride for the girls, their parents, and the entire people of Ogori – which marks the event as the climax of the Ogori week.
According to the people of Ogoriland, the event symbolizes Chastity, fertility, feminity, and procreation according to the laws of God in conformity with the norms of the Ogori people. It is traditionally taboo for an Ogori maiden to get pregnant before the rite of passage. Such maidens are not allowed to participate in the festival and are frowned upon by the community.
The History of Ovia Osese festival
The Ovia Osese festival has been in existence since the beginning of time for the people of Ogori land. However, with modernization and the advent of Christianity, certain aspects of the festival have been changed or replaced but the underlying emphasis has always been on Chastity.
On the eve of the festival, the Ovia (the maiden) must sleep at the Oyodina’s house to receive what is called “home education” which comprises of virtues of womanhood and general body hygiene, sex education, and instructions on how to keep a home and childbirth.
The girls to be initiated fall between the ages of 14 to 26. The Onu and Eni, two clans in Ogoriland have celebrated their festivals together since 1940. The Ovia dance to pay respect to the village head. The girls wear decorative beads around their heads wrists and waists.
Their hair is usually plaited and decorated with beads. The songs the initiatees sing are exclusive to them, and even their relations are not allowed to sing along. The songs are said to have anonymous compositions and are perpetuated by oral tradition.
On the morning of the Ovia Osese festival itself, the Ivia (maidens) are dressed in traditional hand-woven cloth of various colors and wearing beads in their hair and on their necks and shoulders, their bodies oiled and decorated with white chalk.
They are paraded as they dance around the town to the admiration of all and to the pride of their parents. They then go around the town and, finally to the arena where they pay respect to the village head.
Before colonization, the people of Ogori worshipped various gods and believed in the powers of the gods to protect and provide for them. Through various sacrifices, the gods are worshipped and their blessings are sought. In the past, the various gods in Ogoriland were consulted on and before the Ovia Osese festival to get their approval and blessings.
Final Thoughts
The Ovia Osese Festival celebrated among the Ogori people of Kogi State, Nigeria – is one of the most historic and cherished cultural heritage in Nigeria. The festival which is celebrated annually in August has many other attractive activities which include: cultural performances, presentation of new yams, chieftaincy investitures, and awards, as well as other activities like free medical checkups, a novelty match, and a Jumat service.
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