Aesthetic Functions of Ogun Festival in Ijesha-Isu Ekiti, Ekiti State

Abstract

This paper focuses on the aesthetic functions of the Ogun festival to the people of Ekiti State and how these functions have helped in the psychological and sociological well-being of the people of Ijesha-Isu Ekiti, Ekiti State. With the coming of Christianity and Islamic religions, the thrust of traditional religion dwindles day by day with recourse to Western civilization, which has aided the absence of traditional religious festivals. Notwithstanding the scarcity of traditional religious practices in Nigeria, the Ekiti people have held on to the Ogun festival beliefs and artistic aesthetics. The Ogun festival in Ekiti State has shown that the people still consider the worship of Ogun paramount to their existence and survival and can therefore not do without it.