Politics
10-year-old princess carries Osun festival calabash
A 10-year-old princess, Alimot Moredeke Osunbunmi, has been made to carry the calabash of the annual Osun-Osogbo Festival, marking a significant milestone in one of Yoruba’s most revered cultural and spiritual celebrations.
Alimot, a member of the Ataoja of Osogbo royal family, led thousands of worshippers, traditional rulers, devotees and tourists in the sacred procession to the Osun Sacred Grove on Friday after completing the traditional rites required for the role.
Her participation this year marks a difference from the 2025 edition of the festival, when she was unable to carry the sacred calabash because of her age.
Although she led the procession as the newly selected Arugba last year, the sacred object was carried by a senior chief priest, Baba Osun Adesina, following concerns about the physical demands of the ritual.
The young princess was selected in March 2025 through Ifa divination, succeeding Osuntomi Ewatomi, whose tenure of about 12 years as the Arugba (meaning the one who carries calabash) ended after her marriage, in keeping with tradition that requires the Arugba to remain an unmarried maiden.
Ahead of Friday’s procession, Yoruba cultural advocate and content creator Wàá Ṣeré announced that Princess Alimot had successfully completed the traditional Ìdáfá rites, describing them as a crucial spiritual preparation before carrying the sacred calabash.
“The Arugba has been fortified. Ìdáfá Arugba is now done and dusted. Arugba takes the required sacrifice to Èṣù on behalf of the whole of the land of Òṣogbo,” the post read.
The announcement concluded with a blessing for the historic procession, noting that the young princess would carry the sacred calabash to the Osun deity at the revered grove.
According to Yoruba tradition, the Arugba occupies one of the most revered positions in the Osun-Osogbo Festival, because she serves as the symbolic intermediary between the people of Osogbo and Ọ̀ṣun, the Yoruba river goddess associated with fertility, healing and prosperity.
During the climax of the festival, the Arugba carries a sacred calabash containing ritual offerings from the Ataoja’s palace to the Osun Sacred Grove.
The procession is regarded as the spiritual high point of the celebration, with devotees believing the journey conveys the prayers, hopes and sacrifices of the community to the goddess.
Alimot’s emergence drew widespread attention last year because of her age, making her one of the youngest Arugba maidens in recent history.
The Osun-Osogbo Festival is one of Nigeria’s most prominent cultural and religious events, attracting traditional worshippers, tourists, researchers and cultural enthusiasts from across the country and abroad.
The celebration centres on the Osun Sacred Grove, a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognised for its cultural, historical and spiritual significance.
The 2026 festival, which runs from August 7 to August 19, features a series of traditional rites, cultural displays, drumming, dancing and royal ceremonies before culminating in the sacred procession to the grove.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.
