Major Traditional Festivals of Erin-Ijesa

Iro is the major festival that is being celebrated on an annual basis with pomp and pageantry in Erin-Ijesa. Erin people jealously guarded and treasured Iro which they regarded as the goddess of fertility and the soul of the Yoruba nation and its fruitfulness, with Lowabisi as the chief priest. Lowabisi worshipped Iro on behalf of Akinla as Oduduwa himself used to worship it at Ile-Ife. Lowabisi, the Chief Priest of Iro, was very vast in incantations and charms. He was stoic and ascetic. No Lowabisi could afford to be frivolous. He had to be conscious always of his responsibilities towards the Akinla and the community. He was always in seclusion, going through spiritual preparations before the day of worship, which is preceded by a night of rituals shrouded in mystery not normally witnessed by non-indigenes and women. These night rituals done on the eve of Iro worship are called ‘upekuro’.

In the following morning of the night of ‘upekuro’, Lowabisi would mount the Iro effigy called Omoleka. He would emerged from a place called ‘orutu’ (an elevated platform), and announce the dawn of the festival to the Yoruba and particularly members of the Erin community. From the ‘orutu’, he will proceed to the burial ground of the first Akinla called ‘Idi Oodua’ to offer sacrifice and prayers. He would now disembark and go from one corner of the community to the other praying and blessing the people particularly the poor and barren women. He will also move from one sacred shrine to the other within the town. For example, he will move from the Asiko shrine to Owa-Igun and then to the Akinla’s palace; and from there to the Ogun shrine. Lowabisi will finally settle at the Oyigbo-Mekun market where the whole community would have assembled in groups to meet him, dancing to the ancient and ageless ijigereji drum. There is this myth that when the ‘ijiregeji’ drum is beaten during Iro worship, it is heard in certain quarters at Ile-Ife, Oke Ahun in Efon Alaaye and Ikeji. Erin community people would come out in their best dresses chanting various songs with excitement and joy praising Iro. Lowabisi would also worship at the ‘uja’ shrine evoking the spirits of the past Akinlas and of Oduduwa with his ‘eresi’. At dusk, he would retire home waiting for another year when another round of sacrifices, worship, chanting and dancing would be done in celebration of Iro.

This festival came into being by sheer accident of history in the 18^th century by Akinla Aladekomo, the father of Ada who was later exiled to Erin-Oke. It was therefore episodic in style and form. Omolore, a beautiful wife of Akinla went the farm with her maid. The myth had it that those small snails called Ipere crawled on the clothing of the Queen where it was dropped while tendering in the farm, spitting a sticky substance that looks like a man’s semen. Akinla thereafter suspected her of committing adultery with a man. The Queen pleaded her innocence but Akinla would not listen to her entreaties; and in fit on anger, impetuously beheaded the innocent woman and her maid. The spiritual import of this tragic event was calamitous upon entire sleepy Erin community. There were poor harvests, violent storms never witnessed before, pestilence, epidemics, sudden and premature deaths and other evil occurrences; the signs of which were ominous and dreadful. When Ifa oracle was consulted, the Ifa diviner revealed that the spirit of the beheaded Queen was taking revenge as she was innocently executed. To appease her for peace to reign, it was recommended that she must be deified and be remembered periodically by celebrating her. The Akinla then commissioned her effigy to be carved and painted in her favourite colour which was red. Another effigy was carved and painted black to depict her maid. Agbeleku festival was then instituted to commemorate the episode, and it has continued till today in addition to Iro festival. The small snails called Ipere thus became a taboo for Erin natives; as they must neither touch nor eat it. Initially, Agbeleku was celebrated every ninth year, but the frequency was first changed to every fifth year and finally to every third year realizing its importance.

The Agbeleku festival is a period of feasting, eating, visiting, jubilation, joy and excitement. There would be sufficient drumming of Oshaka, a special musical instrument designed for the festival amidst the booming of guns and satirical songs exposing wrong doings among the people. Various groups in long procession including the chiefs of various grades and categories dressed in gaily attires would render dirges remembering the dead. Prayers would be offered for good harvest, fruitfulness, prosperity and peace in the land. At the ceremony, the Alaaye of Efon sends clothes while Owa of Ilesa sends a dog, kolanut, a cock and clothes. It became the responsibility of Aratan to take custody of the carved images after seven days of celebrations. The images would be kept until another year of festival. The place where the images and other carvings are kept is today called “agbunagbeleku”. This is usually within the confines of the rocky and hilly place where Olumirin waterfalls is situated. The carriers of the images and their priest are called “Oliro” and “Akinmo” respectively.