Last up date (July 26, 2021)

Ozalla had a daughter who went to marry at Egoro- Amede. Her name was Orhueren. It was unfortunate that Orhueren had no child and it came to a time that she fell sick and died.

AS Ozalla custom has it, when a woman dies, her son has to bring her body home for burial. But as Mrs. Orhueren had no child, nobody could make any arrangement for her burial. But before her death, her husband died a few years back and she was alone in the house and when she died, nobody was aware. She remained unburied in her house and thus decomposed and later became River. This is the “Admirable River Orhueren”

Having become a river, she started to trace her way home (Ozalla). She constructed a path through Egoro- Amede to Erah and through Erah to Ozalla and finally through Eme and Uhonmora but unfortunately before arriving from the construction of the path to pass through River 0wan had passed through the path constructed by her (River Orhueren) at a point in Uhonmora.

River Orhueren was then offended by River Owan and she therefore passed through the middle of River Owan in order to share the path as it was impossible for her to drive River Owan away from the path. The spot at which this took Place can easily be verified at Uhonmora by Orhueren/Own Bridge along Uhonmora/Sabongidda Road.

The question then is “How came about the idea of the festivals performed annually in Ozalla ?

After the death of Orhueren and she eventually became a river, Ozalla thought of any honour that they would be doing her yearly.
Suggestions were made and one was agreed upon that they should always fetch the water once in a year and the water would never to be stored in any one’s house over a night.

Ozalla then became puzzled on how they would be fetching the water yearly. Suggestions were made and finally agreed upon that it should be fetched yearly according to Age Group.

Every year, an Age Group (Men) goes to the River Orhueren to fetch the water. This is the Ivbamen Festival.

Women are not left out. Suggestions were also made to what honour will the women be doing her yearly. Among the suggestions made was that girls usually unmarried must have to perform some ritual to her as a sign of dedication to her and also to prove their purity. This is the Obo Festival performed annually in Ozalla.

There is another major festival known as the Eghe. This is the idea or originated from the Elders that most of our children come to this world though the River and any one in Ozalla who comes through river (festivals) were finally agreed upon the strong men known in Ozalla as Ebo Have testified though their Oracles and finally gave the final conclusion to the Elders.