AWON MASS WEDDING FESTIVAL

Shao, Kwara State

Post-Time: 09:59:39pm on 08-11-19

Awon Mass Wedding Festival is an annual festival that takes place at Shao Town, Moro local government in Kwara State, Nigeria.  This event gets the attention of many people within and outside Nigeria because all young ladies that are ripe enough for marriage are all given out in marriage at once.

People come with different colorful attires, drummers come in numbers and different kinds of food are prepared in surplus to satisfy everyone that joins them in celebration.

A BIT HISTORY OF AWON

Awon is a name of a woman who claimed she owns the major river in Shao when she appeared to a man who used to drink from the river. She sought for King Ohoro of shao and promised him and the people she would guard and protect them if they could always separate a day for her every year to give out young ladies of marriageable age out in marriage. She also promised them to always answer all their requests most especially during the festival. She fell down, disappeared and water gushed out from the spot of her disappearance. That spot is named ‘Awon Yale’

People go to this spot to pray and request for anything they want from Awon.  They named it ‘Ojubo Awon’ meaning Worship Spot of Awon.

Awon, according to history,  had two sister who also became rivers. One was River Asa that flows in Ilorin and River Osun in Osogbo. Figurines in  the shrines of Awon and Osun are alike and this proves they are might be truly related.

A family was chosen to take care of the figurines and ojubo awon. This family in charge of the shrine is ‘Ile Alawon’ and the priest is called ‘Alawon’