The religion of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigreia is Orisa. The word "Orisa" means "those whose heads were created more superior then others." Each of these deities are the ministrers of God (Olodumare), and the word of Almighty God. They are called Orisa (Eni ti ori sa da).
In the beginning, human beings did not have names for the days. It was Obatala (arch divinity, God of Creativity) who went to Olodumare to obtain weekdays for all the rest of Orisa. it was Orunmila who established the days, hence one of the Odus recited:
Ifa loni oni
Ifa loni ola
Ifa loni ojo mereerin Oosada saye
It is Ifa who owns today
It is Ifa who owns tomorrow
It is Ifa who owns the fourth day that Orisa made on Earth
In a paragraph of oriki of Obatala one of his daughters asked- can we know the name of the days?
Obatala says:
Take a day for week of Orisaala
Pick another day for Ogun
Make another day for Jakuta (Sango)
The remaining day is for Awo (Orunmila) it was only four days that Obatala brought from heaven to the world with the 401 deities. Obatala already distributed the days among the other Orisa, Ogun, Sango and ifa, while he picked a day for himself. The rest of orisa therefore had to share days, e.g. The week day (Ose Ifa) is the same day of Osun. Obatala shares his day with Egungun, Ancestor spirits, Iyami Aje, and Also Elegbara, etc.
Five days is the traditional calendar week of the Yoruba People, not counting the first day you have four days. Twenty nine days makes a month, that is when the moon is full. The moon spends fifteen days on earth and fifteen days in heaven.
Ojo Aje (Monday)- is the day on which money joined Orisa on earth and is known as the day of money. Yoruba people use this day to start business, and to discuss economic and social programs.
Ojo Isegun (Tuesday)- is the day of victory. This is the day all evil forces are overpowered. It is a good day to start anything that leads to a better quality of life.
Ojoru (Wednesday)- is the day problem entered the world. It is the day of confusion.
Ojoba (Thursday)- is the day on which names of the days arrived. It is a day on which Ancestors visit the family. This is why every important festival begins on Thursday- Ojobo.
Ojo eti (Friday)- is the day of postponement. It is believed that whatever people have to do on this day should be postponed or else it would fail. This is why business and journeys do not begin on this day.
Abameta (Saturday)- has the same attribues as Ojo Eti. In order to avoid three types of negative incidents, the Yoruba don't use Saturday to bury a person, unless the person is an elder.
Ojo Aiku (Sunday)- Ojo Ariku otherwise know as Ojo Isinmi is the day of rest, and the day Orunmila buried Imi, the mother of Esu Odara...On this day the people of the world requested immortality (aiku) from Olodumare. Orunmila, a close confidant of Olodumare refused to make propitiation and he was unable to bring immortality (aiku) for all inhabitants of earth; hence people had to die. Fortunately, premature death can be prevented by making sarifice and using Ifa medicine. . This day people were granted long live but not immortality.
OGUNDA SERESE, ADIFAFUN SEKERE
NIJO TI SE AWO LO SI ILU I LAJE SEKERE NI MODA
ARA MI LOKUN ARA MI NI AJE,AYA,OKO,OMO,IRE GBOGBO
NGBE SO, GBOGBO ARA NI SEFUN-SEFUN FI SEFUN AJE.
NINU ODUN YI ,AJE, AYA, OKO, IRE GBOGBO A GBA WA GBE
TITI LAI LAI. ASEE!!!!!!
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