10-Year-Old Princess Carries Sacred Arugba Calabash at Osun-Osogbo Festival
Ten-year-old Princess Alimot Moredeke Ajoke Osunbunmi has carried the sacred Arugba calabash at the 2026 Osun-Osogbo Festival, formally taking on one of Osogbo’s most revered traditional duties. Dressed in white and accompanied by priests, palace chiefs and devotees, she joined the procession from the Ataoja of Osogbo’s Palace to the Osun Sacred Grove. The calabash is believed to symbolically convey the community’s prayers and offerings to Yeye Osun. The princess was selected through Ifa divination in 2025 to succeed the previous Arugba, whose tenure ended after her marriage. She did not carry the calabash at the 2025 festival because of her age, while the Osun chief priest performed the duty temporarily. Her participation has been praised as a significant moment for the preservation of Yoruba cultural heritage. The annual Osun-Osogbo Festival is held at the UNESCO-recognised Osun Sacred Grove and draws worshippers, tourists and researchers from within and outside Nigeria.
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