Ifa Festival, Ile-Ife

The Ifa Festival is an annual seven-day event which ends on the first Saturday of June. Ifa (also known as Orunmila) is an oracle of divinity and one of the principal deities of the Yoruba people. The first day of the festival involves various rituals, including Ijawe Ifa Ooni (the plucking of leaves for Ooni's oracle) and Arisun Idana Afin (a vigil at the palace that involves cooking), while the second day is for the Bibo Ifa Ooni (making a sacrifice for Ooni's oracle).




The third and fourth days are dedicated to the performance of rituals by Awo Oloju merindinlogun (a cult with sixteen faces). On the fifth day a public lecture and roundtable discussion on 'women in Ifa' take place, as does a performance of rituals by a priest called Araba Agbaye. The iwure (blessing/prayers) by Araba Agbaye (backbone of the world) and other Arabas as well as the feeding of Ifa and making of the year's divination all hold during the grand finale, which starts on Saturday and continues until early the following day.