This year’s 2020 Aje festival has just ended in lle lfe and all those who attended left the ancient city with fond memories of that great and classy event.
It is one festival that they all won’t forget in a hurry because of the colourful and glamourous nature of the event. Everybody wore white, the colour of peace. The King of Apala Music, Alhaji Haruna Ishola thrilled guests as he dished out rich and sonorous music at the reception held at the palace grounds on the evening of Monday 24th, February 2020.
City People magazine can authoritatively reveal that the ancient city of lle-Ife bubbled that Monday as the whole world converged to celebrate the 2020 Aje festival, with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
This year’s event showed that the Ooni has raised the Aje festival to the next level and it has caught the attention of many tourists who flew in from abroad.
Kudos to the planning committee that packaged the classy event, headed by Princess Toyin Kolade, a successful Lagos Business woman who the Ooni holds in high esteem.
The Ooni saddled her with the onerous task of planning the event along with her members. No wonder this year’s Aje festival went down as one of the most successful Aje festivals.
That Monday, all roads led to lle lfe for Aje festival, as celebrities trooped to the ancient from all parts of the world. As early as 6am glittering SUVs and all sorts of exotic jeeps drove into lfe with guests who came to celebrate with the Ooni. Many guests had arrived a day before. No wonder why all the hotels in lle lfe were fully booked with visitors. And by midday of that Monday thousands of lfe indigenes, market men and women, tourists, business tycoons, traditional rulers and celebrities from abroad converged on the palace, all resplendently attired in white. A lot of Lagos celebrity women who are friends of Princess Toyin Kolade stormed lfe that day to celebrate Aje festival with her.
This hard working woman popularly called lyalaje Apapa and her team had sleepless nights putting together the event. No fewer than 20 Africans in the diaspora like Brazilians, Cubans & Americans flew in to be part of the 2020 Aje festival.
The Ooni was fully in charge of the ceremony. The Ooni with white pigeons in his hands led the procession of participants from the palace, lle Oodua to the Aje Shrine known as ldi Aje, located a kilometre away from the palace, right inside the Ejigbomekun market, believed to be the oldest market in the world where prayers for economic and commercial prosperity of the Oduduwa race worldwide was made, after which the pigeons were released into the air.
Aje is one of the 401 gods and goddesses that brings prosperity. Aje is the deity in charge of wealth and economic prosperity with great positive influence on the worlds economy. The festival annually holds on a Monday, traditionally known as Ojo Aje in Yoruba culture and tradition.
At each Aje ceremony attendees and guests are expected to purchase a white pigeon each,as a symbol of Unity and Peace.
By the time all the guests finished dancing to Musiliu Haruna Ishola‘s music, they all ended up asking for more.
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