Ogun Festival Ogun the god of smithy and lord of Iron is celebrated annually in almost every town and villages in the state. The celebration is an annual remembrance and worship of the god of Iron who was believed to be a hunter who migrated from Ile-lfe to Ire-Ekiti on game search, but he ended up living permanently at Ire-Ekiti and disappeared into the ground when some people of the town deceived him with an empty keg of palm wine. He beheaded all of them with his cutlass according to oral history and disappeared into the ground. In Ire-Ekiti, the main festival in remembrance of the deity comes biennially and usually during the month of August. Ogun is believed to be the god of all those using Iron in their professional work therefore; the deity must be worshipped in order to receive his favour. Ondo Town equally worships Ogun deity. In fact Ekimogun festival is fast assuming the status of a key festival of national interest. And in many towns and villages in the State, ogun festival is usually accorded with masquerades of different designs. During the festival the people also worship their ancestors and with the believe that the ancestors are on earth again to greet, inspect and bless their siblings. These masquerades are regarded as imitations of the ancestors. Dogs, Palm oil, Roasted yam, Palm wine, Cold water and cola nuts are the materials used by Ogun devotees to worship the deity.
Orosun Festival, Idanre According to oral tradition, Orosun was a woman and that she was one of the wives of Olofin Aremitan. When Olofin left Ife and got to Ipetu Ijesha where he stayed briefly, he met Orosun who was said to be very beautiful. Aremitan married her at Ipetu. After some years Aremitan left for Oke-Idanre which he founded. Because of the strong tie between Olofin and Orosun she came to Idanre where she was welcomed to the palace. She stayed in the palace for many years but unfortunately, her marriage was not blessed with any issue. Her position in the palace was enviable. She was held in high esteem by the King to the annoyance of other wives. This developed into a domestic intrigue and Orosun fled the palace and entered into a cave near the present Orosun Hill. The people of Idanre decided thereafter to appease her in exchange for fertility, peace, progress and health. She is worshipped every year. The festival is performed on 15th May of every year.
Igogo Festival, Owo This is an annual festival in Owo which lasts a total of 17 days featuring a number of ceremonies including the blessing and release of new yams. During the period of celebration, drumming is banned in Owo and instead, metal gongs (Agogo) are used. This was where the name ‘IGOGO’ was coined. The Olowo, who during the festival usually dresses in Coral Beaded Crown, plaits his hair like a woman with Olowo’s dressing. It could be seen here that Owo has some traditional linkage with Benin. The Olowo leads his people including the Chief Priest and the male youths from Iloro quarters to dance round the whole town it comes up in September annually.
Olokun Festival, Igbokoda This is an annual worship of the Olokun deity who is the goddess of river and seas. The goddess is held in high esteem among the people of riverine areas of the state. This is because the deity has jurisdiction over nearly every important aspect of power to give children to barren women. She is also believed to be in control of ocean waves and could capsize, at will, boats of riches; she is believed to have the power to enrich her devotees.
Obitun Festival, Ondo Obitun is a bridal dance in Ondo Town. This dancing ceremony is supposed to be performed for every maiden in the town before she gets married. The people believe that if the ceremony is not performed for any particular girl, she might end up being childless. However, these days, very few families do perform these ceremonies for their daughters.
Egungun festival, Akure The egungun festival is a very popular one in Akure wherein masquerades considered to be spirits of dead ancestors entertain the people.
Ondo State
Ondo is a state in Nigeria.
Official Name Ondo State of Nigeria
Appellation Sunshine State
Date of Creation February, 1976
State Capital Akure
Festivals Ogun, Olokun, Igogo, Egungan, Ajagbo, Orosun, Arigiya, Boat Regatta and Mare.
Population 3,460,877 comprising 1,745.057 Male and 1,715,820 female(as at 2006)
Languages Yoruba, Ijaw and English (Official Language) and several dialects of the sub-groups.
People The indigenes are predominantly Yoruba namely: the Akoko, Akure, Apoi, Idanre, Ijaw, Ikale, Ilaje, Ondo and the Owo. Ondo crop of educated elites has led to its being classified as one of the most educationally advanced states in Nigeria. The people are mostly subsistence farmers, fishermen and traders.
The life pattern of the people represents an embodiment of culture, ranging from the local foodstuff to the mode of dressing, dancing, wood crafts, such as carved house post and decorated doors. The Culture of Ondo State people speaks volume. Antiquities and artifacts are also preserved in palaces of traditional rulers some of which have been declared as National Monuments.
Location The state lies between longitudes 4″30″ and 6″ East of the Greenwich Meridian, 5″45″ and 8″ 15″ North of the Equator. This means that the state lies entirely in the tropics.
18 Local Government Areas Ondo State, made up of 18 Local Government Areas is located in the South Western Zone of Nigeria.
Boundaries Ondo state is bounded in the North by Ekiti/Kogi State; in the East by Edo State; in the West by Oyo and Ogun States and in the South by the Atlantic Ocean.
Land Area: 14,788.723 square kilometers.
Vegetation The state enjoys generally, luxuriant vegetation. A high forest zone (or rain forest) is found in the south, while the northern fringesis mostly sub- savannah forest.
Climate The climate is tropical with two distinct seasons viz the rainy season (April-October) and the Dry season (November-March). The temperature through out the year ranges from 21C-29C while humidity is relatively high. The annual rain fall varies from 2.000mm in the southern parts to 1150mm in the northern areas. The rainfall decreases in amount and distribution from the coast to the hinterland.
Natural resources Extensive fertile soil suitable for agriculture with sub- savannah forest suitable for cattle gazing in the Northern fringes. Vast forest resources, variety of timber species e.g Teak, Gmelina, Masionia e.t.c. Ondo State is the largest producer of Cocoa in Nigeria. Other cash crops grown in the state include rubber, cashew, kolanut, palm oil etc.
Mineral resources Oil and Gas; Ondo State produces 12% of Nigeria’s total output, other mineral resources found in the state are quartz sand, clay, granite, limestone talc, kaoline, coal, columbite, rock, tin, bitumen. ( the second largest deposit in the world ) many rivers, ocean fronts, and the longest coast line in Nigeria.
Tourism sites Idanre hill tourism centre at idanre Mountain Climbing and cultural festival (Mare) that holds every December in idanre. Ebomi lake at Ipesi in Akoko South East Local Government Area, coast creeks and canals, Igb Olodumare at Oke igbo, iho-Eleeru (cave of ashes) at Isarun in Ifedore Local Government Area
System of government Constitutional democracy in a Federal Republic with elected Executive and Legislature and an Independent Judiciary.
New Yam Festival, Oka-Akoko This occurs on the first Saturday of August. The Oka people go to the palace of the Oba (The Olubaka of Oka) to celebrate with him. People celebrate with one another and pounded yam is always in abundance.
