Tourists, devotees, and cultural enthusiasts from across the globe are trooping into the ancient city of Osogbo to join the fiesta marking the grand finale of the annual Osun Osogbo festival.

As early as 8:00 a.m., many Osun devotees began singing and dancing on major roads in the city centre. Others exhibited cultural artefacts near the Osun Grove.

Devotees carried plastic bottles and kegs to fetch water from the Osun River for spiritual purposes.

Masqueraders chanted incantations and shot sporadically into the air to the admiration of onlookers. The police, NSCDC and FRSC personnel were positioned strategically within the capital city to ensure law and order and ease human and vehicular movement.

Food and souvenir vendors took advantage of the influx of visitors to do brisk business.

The event, which started on August 1, would end on Friday with a young maiden, Arugba, who will carry a calabash on her head as a symbolic sacrifice to the river goddess.

According to the curator and site manager of Osun Osogbo Grove, Adekunle Fatai, no fewer than 60,000 devotees and tourists are expected at the grand finale.

The Osun-Osogbo festival, whose history dates back many centuries, is usually celebrated in an ancient grove believed to be among the last of the sacred forests remaining among Yoruba cities.

In recognition of its global significance and cultural value, the Sacred Grove was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

(NAN)