The Odunde Festival is a one-day festival and mostly a
street market
A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from the Arabic lang ...
catered to African-American interests and the
African diaspora
The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from native Africans or people from Africa, predominantly in the Americas. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the West and Central Africans who were ...
. It is derived from the tradition of the
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitut ...
of
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
in celebration of the new year. It is centered at the intersection of Grays Ferry Avenue and South Street in the U.S. city of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
.
Ruth Arthur and Lois Fernandez were co-founders of Odunde festival. Ruth died at age 64 in 1997. Lois died at age 81 in 2017.
History
The Odunde festival started in Philadelphia in 1975.
Lois Fernandez
Lois Fernandez (1936 – August 13, 2017) was a political and cultural activist, best known for founding the Odunde Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The festival celebrates African and African-American heritage. It has continued for more ...
and her friend Ruth Arthur organized the first Odunde Festival. It took place in April 1975,
as the "
Oshun
Ọṣun, is an orisha, a spirit, a deity, or a goddess that reflects one of the manifestations of the Yorùbá Supreme Being in the Ifá oral tradition and Yoruba-based religions of West Africa. She is one of the most popular and venerated ...
Festival".
The goal was to bring together the community and to foster awareness of and pride in black history and culture.
The festival began with $100 from neighborhood donations.
The festival is now the largest African celebration on the east coast of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. It is held in the month of June. The festival brings in
Africans
African or Africans may refer to:
* Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa:
** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa
*** Ethn ...
from all parts of the world, including Africa, Brazil, and other places around the United States.
According to WXPN, "... beginning with an all-inclusive spiritual procession to the Schuylkill River, the festival carries on from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., filling the day with vibrant traditional clothing, African food, and art and craft vendors from around the world."
There was no festival in 2020.
File:OdundeFestivalGraysFerry.jpg, Odunde Festival 2013 on Grays Ferry Avenue
See also
*
African-American neighborhood
African-American neighborhoods or black neighborhoods are types of ethnic enclaves found in many cities in the United States. Generally, an African American neighborhood is one where the majority of the people who live there are African American ...
References
External links
ODUNDE365Official festival website
{{U.S. Holidays
African-American festivals
Africans in the United States
Brazilian-American culture
Festivals in Philadelphia
Southwest Center City, Philadelphia
Yoruba-American history
Yoruba culture
African festivals