Vodun Days festivities kick off in Benin's Ouidah

The Vodun Days celebrations, a three-day annual event honouring Benin's spiritual and cultural heritage are taking place in the the sacred Kpassè Forest in Ouidah.

Spotting a baseball cap, President Patrice Talon arrived for the first day of the celebrations amid cheers from the festival goers.

He was accompanied by Romuald Wadagni, Minister of the economy and finance, and presidential candidate for Talon's party in the April elections.

The president spent time watching the Egungun mask parades in Maro Square, before departing the venue.

Vodun is an animist religion rooted in the forces of nature and the connection with ancestors.

Vodun Days, the name given to this annual celebration since 2024, draw thousands of visitors from around the world to Ouidah every early January.