Oni: Anxiety mounts as Oro festival enters third day in Ife

…women remain indoors

Many women in the ancient town of Ile-Ife remained indoors yesterday as the annual Oro festival entered its third day.
Although a palace source disclosed on condition of anonymity that the festival had nothing to do with the rumoured death of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the women believed otherwise.
Some national dailies last Wednesday were agog with the news of the death of the Ooni, but was vehemently denied by the traditional council of the ancient town.
The commencement of Oro festival on Friday night, which is to last for seven days, further fuelled speculations and anxiety about the monarch’s demise.
Oro is a deity worshipped across Yoruba land, which forbids women from going out at night during the period of the festival.
Although women were only forbidden to go out at night during the traditional festival, some women said that it was better to be on the safe side by staying indoors during the period than to be caught and probably used as sacrifice.
Mrs Rebecca Olaide, a market woman, said she would remain indoors to avoid any unexpected circumstance.
Olaide said she had asked her eldest son to help her to manage her business until the festival was over.
Another woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she had restricted her movement because of the Oro festival.
She said the Oro festival might not be unconnected with the reported demise of the monarch.
Another lfe resident who simply identified herself as Sade said she had decided to remain within her vicinity to avoid any unexpected happening.
“Although women were asked not to go out only at night, I decided not to go out during the day too until the festival is over,” she said.
However, a palace source said the Oro was an annual festival in the town to appease the gods to ward off evil and usher in an era of prosperity.
The source said people in Ile-Ife usually celebrate Oro festival and other traditional festivals like Olojo, Orunmila, Edi, Oranmiyan, Esu, Obatala, among others, annually.
He said the celebration of Oro festival had nothing to do with the controversial news about the demise of the Ooni.
The source, who maintained that the monarch was still alive, said the closure of markets for businesses and ringing of special bell were the two major significant signs to indicate an Ooni had joined his ancestors.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that the traditional festival coincided with the funeral of the head of hunters in the ancient town called Balogun in the cradle of Yoruba race.
Meanwhile, the remains of Oba Sijuwade has arrived his palace in Ile Ife, knowledgeable and reliable palace sources have disclosed, even as palace authorities and notable Ile-Ife personalities insist the Oba is alive, and is hale and hearty.
Reliable palace insiders said that the body of the paramount ruler left London in a chartered air ambulance on Friday and was taken to the palace under the cover of darkness.
The body, our sources said, is now lying in a secluded part of the palace called Ilegbo, a sacred place where all Oonis commune with their ancestors.
Ilegbo is the place where highly-prized rituals take place within the confinement of the palace.
It is also the place where the Are beaded crown, worn annually by the Ooni, is kept.
The Are crown is usually worn through the back because it is forbidden for the Ooni to see the inside of the beaded crown. And when it is worn, the rain must not touch it.
Sources said only the monarch’s male children and highly ranked priests and chiefs are allowed to access that innermost recess of the palace and sight the Ooni’s remains.
“Even the Oba’s female children can’t come here, tradition does not allow them to sight the Oba at this time,” one of our sources said.
Oba Sijuwade’s predecessor, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, died on July 3, 1980.
Sijuwade, crowned Oba on December 6, 1980 is widely believed to have passed away since July 28, 2015.