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By Young E. Freeborn, Warri
Olorogun Simon Ighariemu, popularly known as ‘Ovie-Edjo 1,’ has ended the seven-day festival to honour the Ohor eponymous deity of the Unenurhie people, with a call to Christians and traditional worshippers to tolerate one another and show love in whatever they do as the true images of God they are.
The religious event, which gathered many traditional worshippers from within and outside the community, including the Ohor adherents, featured various religious activities, such as paying of vows by members, offering of prayers by the chief priest, sharing of testimonies and other remarkable activities.
In a chat with our correspondent after the usual sacrifices in the Ohor forest, the Ovie-Edjo 1 said, “This Ohor eponymous deity is one of the deities our forebear, Usu, brought to this place.
“In fact, according to our oral history, this Ohor, and another one called Ererivwin, were the leading stars that led them from Elele to this place we are living today. And thank God, today I’m the chief priest of the Ohor eponymous deity. We have members from here and also from Evwreni and Uwheru communities. These people must have been related to the community here by blood in one way or the other. The festival we are celebrating today is to bring peace, progress and abundant blessings to our members and to the entire community.”
Also, Oni-Edjo Felicia, priestess of the Ohor deity, said, “One of the miracles that usually happen in every one of the festivals especially during the sacrifice section in the forest is when the chief priest offer prayers and suddenly on that dry land, water will immediately burst out.
“This water is a holy water for those that believe in it. It’s a healing balm to all kinds of sicknesses. In fact, the water is miraculous in many ways. Adherents and members of Unenurhie community can attest to the miraculous powers of this Ohor holy water because it has done so many miraculous things to people in this place. On this note, I want to thank everyone that graced this year’s festival. I pray that, you have a testimony to share this year.”
The peak of the festival however was the point when the chief priest, Olorogun Simon Ighariemu, led members and others to the forest where the Ohor, as one of the eponymous deities of Unenurhie community was planted to offer prayers and sacrifices to it as the tradition demands.
The event in the forest was very thrilling and heroic as the Ohor chief warrior cut all the sacrificial goats just once to prove that the deity had accepted the sacrifices of those that presented the animals. Again, you see the carrier of the Ohor image, the wooden symbol of the deity, demonstrating with the image on his head without his hands holding it.
