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The 10-year-old Arugba of the Osun-Osogbo Festival, Princess Alimot Moredeke Ajoke Osunbunmi, has officially carried the sacred calabash for the very first time during the annual procession to the historic Osun Sacred Grove in Osogbo, Osun State.
Alimot’s Friday procession marks a massive milestone in her tenure as the Arugba, following her inability to carry the sacred object during the 2025 edition due to her young age.
The young princess earned her selection through traditional Ifa divination back in March 2025, stepping into the role to succeed Osuntomi Ewatomi, who held the revered position for roughly 12 years before her marriage brought her tenure to a close.
Ahead of Friday’s grand procession, cultural content creator Wàá Ṣeré took to X to announce that Alimot had successfully completed all necessary traditional Ifa rites.
As Wàá Ṣeré wrote: 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 further added: Tomorrow, she carries the sacred calabash of Ọ̀ṣun to the motherly spirit that dwells in fresh waters. Ore Yèyé Ọ̀ṣun o!
This development is especially significant because Alimot did not carry the calabash during her debut Osun-Osogbo Festival as Arugba last year.
Instead, a male chief priest named Baba Osun Adesina carried the sacred object while Alimot led the procession toward the grove, with traditionalists explaining that her young age and the intense physical demands shaped the arrangement.
This year, however, Princess Alimot took on the full traditional responsibility, leading the sacred procession from the palace toward the Osun Sacred Grove with the calabash.
As one of the most vital figures in the Osun-Osogbo Festival, the Arugba is traditionally chosen from the royal lineage through Ifa divination.
According to Yoruba tradition, the young maiden acts as a symbolic link between the people and Ọ̀ṣun, the Yoruba river goddess, carrying ritual offerings in a sacred calabash while devotees attach deep spiritual significance to the journey as the community’s prayers and sacrifices.
A member of the royal family of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Alimot’s emergence has drawn widespread attention for making her one of the youngest girls to occupy the revered position in recent history.
The centuries-old Osun-Osogbo Festival is a UNESCO World Heritage Site celebration that attracts traditional worshippers, tourists, researchers, and cultural enthusiasts from across Nigeria and beyond.
The 2026 edition runs from August 7 to 19, featuring traditional rites, drumming, dancing, and cultural performances leading up to the sacred procession to the grove.
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