PHOTOS: Rivers Community Initiate Young Virgins Into Womanhood

Ogu kingdom, located in the Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, recently gained widespread attention on social media due to the annual Iria festival.

This ceremony, deeply rooted in the 16th-century traditions of the Okrika people, symbolizes the transition of young virgins into womanhood.

The Iria festival, occurring mainly in December and January, is a source of both entertainment and cultural significance.

Families in Okrika utilize this occasion as a yearly competition, presenting their virgin daughters to showcase chastity.

These young women are then prepared for the fattening room, where they receive nourishing meals, including a mix of pounded yam, pounded plantain, and fresh fish.

The festival not only captivates the locals but also draws interest from outsiders eager to witness the spectacle of breasts-baring maidens embracing their transition into womanhood.

Photos from this year’s event have gone viral on social media, continuing to perpetuate the cultural tradition of the Iria festival in Ogu kingdom.