Kogi Community Where Virgins Are Celebrated Every Year
Culture is distinctive, it's highly different from what is obtainable in one community to the other. In an era where virginity of women is not seen as anything or count as an honour, Ogori, a community in Kogi Central senatorial district of Kogi State still treasures virginity as a pride of womanhood and celebrate young girls who keep their virginity.
Annually, Ogori community in Ogori-Magogongo Local Government Area of Kogi State celebrates virgins in a big cultural event tagged Ovia Osese.
In the face of high level of moral decadence, Ogori still hold the cultural heritage that girls must not lose their virginity before marriage and celebrate the virgins annually where parents of such girls will be honoured for training their children with their pride and parents of those that lost their virginity will be reprimanded and embarrassed in the presence of members of the community and outsiders.
What Ovia Osese Stands For
In Ogori, Ovia means maiden, a group of girls who is about to be initiated. Every years, descendants of Ogori both home and abroad gathered to be initiated into womanhood where their virginity will be made known to the community people during Ovia Osese festival and they would be celebrated and honoured.
The Ovia Osese festival is not only limited to the descendant of Ogori living at home, those living abroad are inclusive and they would come down to be initiated into womanhood and celebrate their virginity. In Ogori, it's an important process before a girl get married.
Before this time, Iyodina Alebi, the custodian of Ovias must perform certain rites where the girls will be educated. Iyodina Alebi, can discover girls that would be sent back to their parents and such parents would be subsequently sanctioned and reprimanded for presenting girls who have lost their pride while the parents of the girls who are virgins will be celebrated alongside their children.
Girls withing 15 to 22 years of age, both living in the community and those abroad gathered every year and would be celebrated for keeping their virginity.
How Parents Treasure Virgin Daughters
In Ogori, the best thing that can happen to parents is to present children who are virgins. The community celebrates both the virgin girls and their parents. To the parents, they are honoured and celebrated for raising responsible children who keep their pride of womanhood.
Speaking about the importance of the festival, a former Commissioner for Information in Kogi State who hails from the community, Mr. Bode Ogunmola, said, "there is nothing as good as parents training their children to be morally upright in whatever they do. I am a proud father, my daughter is still virgin”, he said.
Isah Bala
Annually, Ogori community in Ogori-Magogongo Local Government Area of Kogi State celebrates virgins in a big cultural event tagged Ovia Osese.
In the face of high level of moral decadence, Ogori still hold the cultural heritage that girls must not lose their virginity before marriage and celebrate the virgins annually where parents of such girls will be honoured for training their children with their pride and parents of those that lost their virginity will be reprimanded and embarrassed in the presence of members of the community and outsiders.
What Ovia Osese Stands For
In Ogori, Ovia means maiden, a group of girls who is about to be initiated. Every years, descendants of Ogori both home and abroad gathered to be initiated into womanhood where their virginity will be made known to the community people during Ovia Osese festival and they would be celebrated and honoured.
The Ovia Osese festival is not only limited to the descendant of Ogori living at home, those living abroad are inclusive and they would come down to be initiated into womanhood and celebrate their virginity. In Ogori, it's an important process before a girl get married.
Before this time, Iyodina Alebi, the custodian of Ovias must perform certain rites where the girls will be educated. Iyodina Alebi, can discover girls that would be sent back to their parents and such parents would be subsequently sanctioned and reprimanded for presenting girls who have lost their pride while the parents of the girls who are virgins will be celebrated alongside their children.
Girls withing 15 to 22 years of age, both living in the community and those abroad gathered every year and would be celebrated for keeping their virginity.
How Parents Treasure Virgin Daughters
In Ogori, the best thing that can happen to parents is to present children who are virgins. The community celebrates both the virgin girls and their parents. To the parents, they are honoured and celebrated for raising responsible children who keep their pride of womanhood.
Speaking about the importance of the festival, a former Commissioner for Information in Kogi State who hails from the community, Mr. Bode Ogunmola, said, "there is nothing as good as parents training their children to be morally upright in whatever they do. I am a proud father, my daughter is still virgin”, he said.
Isah Bala
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