Oke Itase 2025: the day when Ifa speaks for all

The Oke Itase 2025 festival is already underway. Until June 8, Babalawo and Ifa practitioners from around the world and all lineages are called to participate in the ceremonies and to listen to the message Orunmila delivers each year.

This festival is not a mere tradition: it is the moment when Ifa speaks for all, offering warnings, blessings, and guidance that influence families, temples, and entire communities. Understanding the meaning of Oke Itase 2025 becomes a duty for anyone walking the path of Ifa, for that shared Odu sets the course for the months ahead.

The Babalawo began the festival at Ile Ife with the traditional purification rites called Iwole Ojugbona, during which they made offerings to Ifa and to the ancestors. Afterwards, the Aisun Odun Ifa Oloja/Egbodo Ooni took place—a period of ritual rest and dialogue between priests and traditional representatives, during which homage was paid to the Oloja and the Ooni of Ife.

The festival proceeds with offerings to Ifa through which the Babalawo prepare the sacred ground before the ceremonies and offerings that will take place in the coming days. Throughout the week, offerings will also be made to Ogun, Obatala, as well as to Aje, Olokun, Osun, and Esu.

In addition to these ceremonies, this year will feature the Ifa Agbaye Competition, in which young awo will demonstrate skill in reciting verses and preparing ebo according to tradition.

On June 6, attention will turn to the Ifa Conference and the Ifa Book Carnival at Obafemi Awolowo University, where scholars will share the festival’s philosophical background and reflect on the importance of Yoruba verses for this occasion. Afterwards, the long-awaited procession of Jija Ewe Ifa Agbaye will take place toward Oke Igeri, carrying sacred herbs to finalize preparations for the revelation.

The Oke Itase 2025 will reach its climax on June 7, when the Revelation of the Odu of the Year occurs. On that day, the Babalawo will perform the world-wide Ifa divination that reveals the Odu that will govern the year.

Those who participate in the ceremony will receive precise instructions: the sacrifices they must perform, the practices to carry out in families and temples, and the promises of protection and communal well-being. That sign of Oke Itase 2025 will define collective actions for the next twelve months.

The festival will conclude on June 8 with the Closing Ceremony. During this ceremony, praises to the Orisa will be sung and the conclusions drawn from the revealed Odu will be shared. At that moment, attendees will commit to applying the sign’s teachings in their daily lives, ensuring that the message of Oke Itase 2025 transcends the celebration and becomes a constant practice within the community.

Many ask me why Oke Itase is so important in traditional practice. Its importance lies in its shared spiritual dimension: Ifa does not deliver a message to a single individual, but to the entire community.

The Odu that will be revealed on the night of June 7 will include instructions on the necessary sacrifices, the precautions families and temples must take, and the promises of protection and abundance for those who follow the guidance. Understanding the deep meaning of the sign requires each practitioner to meditate on the Yoruba verses of the revealed Odu, identifying the warnings and blessings that Ifa foresees.

For those who cannot attend in person or wish to know the details of Ifa’s message in the sign of Oke Itase 2025, we have digital tools available to actively participate and study the Odu:

• Ifa Traditional: As every year, the Oke Itase sign will be published exclusively in this application, with the complete message.

•Idafa: Collects the full interpretation of each sign, including the one from Oke Itase 2025, with details about the recommended ebo.

•Apola: The Apola series provides practical guides for preparing the ebo and offerings according to the Odu of the year.

Prepare with Ifa Tradicional, Idafa, and Apola to receive the sign of the year, and let the collective message of Oke Itase 2025 illuminate your life and that of your entire community.