By Victor Akinkuolie
Ore festival popularly called Odun Moko in local parlance in the agrarian town of Igburowo, Odigbo Local Government area of Ondo state.
The festival, which is normally celebrated in the month of February of every year, is the only annual tradional festival usually celebrated with pomp and glamour in the ancient community.
Moko festival usually attracted many dignitaries from within and around the community to the ancient town, especially during the eve of the celebration popularly called “Lowo” this aspect of the festival is always delighted to watch.
This is because the festival over the years has been the only source in which people of the community celebrate their forefathers who were said to have migrated from Ile-Ife town and pray for the well-being of their people as well as indigenes of the town.
During the celebration of the festival which normally hold for two days, women are specifically affected by being bare from public glare and will be indoor for two days while the festival last.
Historically, the celebration of the aged-long festival was said to have started in the ancient town few centuries ago, shortly after a communal clash that broke out in 1930 between a neighbouring town called Ilunla in Ondo West Local Government area and the people of Igburowo town.
The latter then under-took the responsibility of celebrating the festival in order to cleanse and ensuring the well-being of the entire residents of the town and to forestall further communal clash in the town.
According to two of the Chief Priest in the community, Chiefs Vincent Akintolayo and Ebenezer Ogunmorewa, said one of the cogent reasons while the festival is usually celebrated with glamour among the indigenes of the ancient community is to reunite, dine and wine together for the well-being of the citizens of the community.
Another reasons mentioned by the Priests were to pray for success and bumper harvest in their farming activities. One cogent reason mentioned by the two priests was to forestall any calamity in the town and breaking up of any epidemic in the town, as well as to pray for anybody suffering from any form diseases such as stroke, cancer, diabetes and epileptic among others.
The Priests who explained further that in order to keep with the terms of the initial agreement in celebrating the festival, all the sons and daughters of the town both at home and in diaspora return home in every February of the year to participate in the celebration of the aged-long festival.
Another notable fact about Ore/Odunmoko festival in Igburowo town is that every indigenes of the community is faithful to the worship of Ore deity, interestingly the community always agog during the celebration as arrays of cars owned by indigenes trooped into the community to participate in the celebration.
The duo explained that though in the olden days, women were kept virtually indoors for seven days preceding the actual Odunmoko day. On each of the seven days women were forbidden from stepping outside except late in the day or towards evening
The priests added that the whole ceremony which revolves around women, children as well as other indigenes of the community believe firmly that their welfare is of paramount concern to the whole society.
On the participation and those who were allow go near the “Lisendon”deity which is also called Jonfa in the community, the Priests explained that all eligible indigenes of the community are allow to touch and participate in the celebration.
They explained that, though men of great ritual powers among the indigenes held sway in the community and were expected to perform the rites essential for the cleansing and well-being of the whole community.
While the women remained homebound in this way, there was no general marketing , no drumming or any other social activities in the community while the celebration lasted, during the celebration, people were also bound from looking at mirror, while any essential errands were run by men and older boys in the house.
On the eve of the celebration of Ore festival, before the commencement of the restriction order, women in the town would be let out for the day to do some marketing and fetch water in the house as well do other essential activities.
Few hours before the commencement of the annual festival women Chiefs in company of other women in the town performed the “Igbaje” ceremony which signals the commencement of the celebration.
Another aspect of the celebration which is always delighted to watch is “Gidigbo” meaning wrestling, all male child of the community were expected to participate in this aspect of the celebration, after which a special traditional delicacy pounded yam and Okro soup will be prepared for those that participated in the wrestling competition.
On the second day of the celebration which is also the grand finally, one of the deity call “Lugbuogho” would be brought from a village called Okegburowo in company of its priests, at the this stage of the celebration only the strongest of men in the community braved the ritual powers on parade, the faint-hearted and the uninitiated among the young ones and the non indigenes kept strictly out of the way.
This aspect of the celebration climaxed all ritual cleansing that started few days, as women in the community would remain indoors for the whole day. The Ore deity would be brought out and dance to the admiration of all spectators, while the enthusiastic crowd who were mainly men would in turn gives cash and wine to the deity, while a popular drum called “Agba” main for the festival would be throb.
Throughout the day, prayer were offered and rites performed by the Ore priests at strategic locations to ward off all evils such as epidemics, stroke, wars, famine family conflicts, societal conflicts among others.
It is on this day that those who were suffering from various types of ailment and diseases such as stroke, Shanpanna, (chicken-purse) cancer, bareness leprosy and epileptic would be cure by the priests.
On the third day, a special herbal local content popularly called “Ero” would be prepared by the Priests and served in all household in the community to pray and invocations for the great blessings of peace, plenty economic progress, fertility among women, protection of the children and the general well-being of the whole community.
It strongly believed by the people of Igburowo community any woman who dared cross the “Aworo” the priests or dared set eyes on the Ore deity and its paraphernalia would paralylise or die a miserable death on the spot. Such was the dread that all doors leading outside in the ancient town were firmly shut and peeping at the priests from behind closed doors was totally forbidden.
Nowadays, with the advent of Christianity and Islamic the people of the agrarian community still believes in the power of the only traditional festival in the town, for example during the celebration there are heard blood chilling sounds of the Alaworo voice popularly called “Umale”which are made to herald the arrival or the passing through of Lisendun (the Ore deity) the voice thus made heightens the eeriness of the whole proceeding and cowers down the women even more.
What makes Odunmoko in Igburowo town different from other traditional festivals in other communities is the fact that no woman that can come out freely, even the title holder of Lobun, which is said to be the only woman that partakes in the celebration of the Odunmoko.
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