{"id":1434,"date":"2026-07-14T17:28:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T16:28:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1434"},"modified":"2026-07-14T17:28:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T16:28:36","slug":"ovwuvwe-festival-2026-abraka-kingdom-bans-dangerous-weapons-to-ensure-peaceful-celebrations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1434","title":{"rendered":"Ovwuvwe Festival 2026: Abraka Kingdom Bans Dangerous Weapons to Ensure Peaceful Celebrations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>By Uwakwe Promise Chinaza<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Abraka, Delta State \u2013 The Oruarivie Abraka Kingdom has announced a total ban on cutlasses and other dangerous weapons during this year\u2019s Ovwuvwe Annual Festival, emphasizing peace and security as the Urhobo community prepares for its biggest cultural celebration.<br>The directive, issued in mid-May 2026 by the Oruarivie Traditional Council under the leadership of His Royal Majesty Akpomeyoma Majoroh, Ojeta II, the Ovie of Oruarivie Abraka Kingdom, applies to all ruling houses and participants. Violators will be handed over to security agencies.<br>\u201cThis measure is to ensure peace, maintain law and order, and prevent any form of breach during the festival,\u201d the council stated. The festival, which draws indigenes, visitors, youth groups, and cultural enthusiasts from across Delta State and beyond, is expected to feature vibrant masquerades, traditional dances, music, and displays of rich Urhobo attire.<br>Cultural Significance<br>The Ovwuvwe Festival (also known as Uyo Ovwuvwe) commemorates the founding of the Abraka kingdom. According to legend, Avwaeke led his people to safety across the Ovwuvwe stream during a historic conflict, often linked to Benin. The name \u201cOvwuvwe\u201d translates roughly to \u201cpeace\u201d or \u201ccalmness\u201d in the Urhobo language.<br>The annual event serves as a time of thanksgiving, invoking peace, fertility, and prosperity for the land. Traditional highlights include cultural performances, community unity, and the parade of animals hunted by young men, reinforcing the kingdom\u2019s heritage and values.<br>This year\u2019s celebrations were centered around May 19, 2026, with preparations and announcements building excitement in the weeks leading up to the main events.<br>The Ovwuvwe Festival remains a cornerstone of Urhobo cultural identity, strengthening bonds within the Oruarivie Abraka Kingdom and related communities such as Umiaghwa-Abraka while showcasing the richness of Delta State\u2019s traditions to a wider audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Uwakwe Promise Chinaza Abraka, Delta State \u2013 The Oruarivie Abraka Kingdom has announced a total ban on cutlasses and other dangerous weapons during this year\u2019s Ovwuvwe Annual Festival, emphasizing peace and security as the Urhobo community prepares for its biggest cultural celebration.The directive, issued in mid-May 2026 by the Oruarivie Traditional Council under the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":17,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,14],"tags":[31,25,381],"class_list":["post-1434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abrakametro","category-trendingnews","tag-abraka","tag-delsu","tag-festivals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1434"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1441,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1434\/revisions\/1441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}