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New Yam Festival: A Celebration of Life and Culture

Explore the rich cultural celebration of a new food season in ogidi ijumu town in kogi state, nigeria..

By The Centenary Project

Women dressed in Adire attire and raising a piece of Adire fabric (2019) The Centenary Project

The New Yam Festival, a celebration of the farming season

The New Yam Festival, in the Ogidi community, is an important way of marking the beginning and end of the farming season. It is a celebration of life, accomplishments in the community, culture and well-being.

Aerial view of Ogidi town (2019) The Centenary Project

The "little" big town of Ogidi Ogidi is a town currently located in the Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. It is renowned for its agricultural produce and arts. One of its popular produce, yam, is hugely celebrated yearly at the harvest of new yams from the farms, in an elaborate ceremony popularly known as the New Yam Festival. The New Yam Festival is celebrated as the town's day - Ogidi Day. The celebration attracts tourists from the country and offers a platform for the women to show their art to visitors.

Display of newly harvested yam (2019) The Centenary Project

Yam is food and food is yam Yam is significant to the planting and harvesting season of Ogidi community as it is regarded as a miraculous plant that signifies fertility. Once new yams are harvested from the farms in good quantity and conditions, it is believed that the year will be illustrious and that the ground will be fertile for other crops.

The traditional ruler at the podium of the Ogidi New Yam Festival (2019) The Centenary Project

The opening ceremony 

The traditional ruler of the land, the Ologidi of Ogidi, opens the ceremony with prayers of thanksgiving for the favour of nature and the importance of yam to the community and its farmers. Royal fathers and dignitaries of other communities, especially those ones that share boundaries and affiliations with Ogidi, pay respect to the Oba (Ologidi) of Ogidi land during the festival, and thrones, kings and dignitaries honour the festival to show solidarity and support of the people.

Community farmers present symbols of their produce to the traditional ruler (2019) The Centenary Project

"Ise logun Ise" "Work is the cure for poverty" is the slogan of community farmers who work hard to make agricultural produce available throughout the nation. Farmers are recognized and encouraged to keep up the good work.

Traditional ruler awards chieftancy title (2019) The Centenary Project

"Soludero of Ogidi land" Investors, good deeds and accomplishments within the community are recognized during the festival. Chieftaincy titles are given to appreciate significant community contributors for creating industries and employment opportunities for locals. One of such titles is the "soludero" - setting the community at ease.

Young woman carrying basket of fruits (2019) The Centenary Project

Fruitful Festival Young women in the community assemble different homegrown fruits in a basket as a part of the festival. A young woman who is dressed in white with her hair styled in the tradition of Ogidi women carry this basket of fruit round the community early in the morning seeking for a fruitful year, bountiful harvest and fertility. She is accompanied with singing by other young women dressed in similar attires.

Nike Davies-Okundaye with foreign guest (2019) The Centenary Project

Meet Nike Davies-Okundaye One of the major influencers of the festival is Mrs Nike Davies-Okundaye, the Agbasaga of Ogidi land. As one of the chiefs in royal council, she has an important role. All the chiefs and illustrious sons and daughters of Ogidi land find their way home to celebrate and support the people on this day. One of the ways through which Nike has shown her support is her investment in textile and art for the women in the community.

Amala and "gbegiri" (bean soup) being served (2019) The Centenary Project

A community that shares food stays stronger together Food is shared to all and sundry at Mama Nike's Ijumu Art Gallery. Children, adults and guests have bowls of amala served with "gbegiri" (bean soup) and "ewedu". Amala is made from yam flour.

Dancers dressed in Adire attires (2019) The Centenary Project

Dancers wearing Adire garments Nike cultural group performs the traditional Yoruba "bata" dance, wearing batik and Adire textiles.

Ogidi new yam festival guests (2019) The Centenary Project

Benin women performing the Ugho dance (2019) The Centenary Project

Music and dancing

The joy of the New Yam Festival is celebrated with various cultural and community groups performing dances, songs, dramas and acrobatics. The New Yam Festival is a time of celebration and thanksgiving for most Nigerian communities, and the Ogidi Ijumu community is not an exception. The Benin women here are performing the Ugho dance.

Benin dancer with "eben" (2019) The Centenary Project

Benin dancer with "eben" The Benin traditional sword and handpiece "eben" is an accessory used in performing the Esapaide dance.

Children dressed in traditional attires (2019) The Centenary Project

Children dance group New Yam Festival is an opportunity for every age group of the society to perform what is unique to them. On the day of the festival, children are excited to perform to the Ologidi (king of Ogidi land) and the guests who attend the event.

Traditional female dancers (2019) The Centenary Project

Olaga Traditional female drummers sing praises and "oriki" of local names to the King and people. They also sing to praise the people of the town. They are traditionally dressed in aso-oke, a piece of clothing tied around the waist with beads crisscrossed around the neck. Their hair is styled traditionally in "suku" with safety pins for decoration.

Woman dancing (2019) The Centenary Project

Oya A lady is costumed as Oya, the wife of Sango, the god of lightning and thunder. She is dressed in Ogboni clothes.

Young men dancing with the drummer (2019) The Centenary Project

Beats and drums Young lads perform to the lead drummer's talking drum.

Drummers dressed in Adire attire (2019) The Centenary Project

A display of traditional drums Yoruba drums are legendary in telling tales and giving instructions. Dancers from various neighbouring communities perform with all kinds of traditional drums that are unique to their dance and culture in celebration of the festival. Examples of such drums are the Gudugudu drum and Iya Ilu drum used in bata dances.

Drummer wearing batik playing bata drum (2019) The Centenary Project

Bata Drum Bata drum is a traditional drum that is beaten during bata dances. Its unique sound is produced by a thick leather, "bulala".

Female dancers from Ondo State (2019) The Centenary Project

Ondo dancers Ondo dancers in celebration with Ogidi land perform their traditional dance with singing before the Ologidi and the people. Dancers are dressed in "kijipa", locally handspun and dyed in indigo.

Drummer with motif face painting (2019) The Centenary Project

A festival of art and culture Ogidi community is synonymous with art. Hence, the New Yam Festival in Ogidi is celebrated in batik-fashioned attires inspired by Chief Nike Davies. Ankara, face-painted motifs and aso-oke are worn during the celebration.

Drummers playing before the crowd (2019) The Centenary Project

Praise singers singing with talking drums and sekere (2019) The Centenary Project

Praise singers Traditional singers perform to talking drums and "sekere" (beaded gourds). They sing "oriki" (praises), folktales and traditional songs to dignitaries and the people.

Girls dressed in traditional attires (2019) The Centenary Project

Irukere and traditional beads Horsetail (or "irukere", as the locals call it) is a traditional Yoruba hand-piece that signifies royalty, authority and fashion. Beads, locally known as "ileke", are part of Yoruba traditional fashion worn by different age groups. They signify various authority ranks and cultural status.

Masquerade performing somersaults at Ogidi New Yam Festival (2019) The Centenary Project

Masquerade Amusement

Masquerades make appearances during festivals, ceremonies and rituals. They are considered deities and ancestral spirits in Yoruba culture. During celebrations and festivals, various masquerades come with groups of people. While these people play drums and sing for the masquerades, the masquerades, in turn, perform and amuse people. In a bountiful harvest, the appearance of the masquerade is a sign that the gods are happy with the people. Masquerade attires and performances vary from culture to culture.

Igbabolelimin Igbabolelimin means "masquerade from the spirit world".

In performance, Igbabolelimin does acrobatic moves to songs and drums played by its entourage.

Gelede Gelede is a human being wearing a mask -- an exaggerated head mask which either represents male or female. Features of gender are exaggerated, and the gelede performs in drama and dance, usually comical, to musical instruments.

Masquerade with human face mask (2019) The Centenary Project

Traditionally, the masks are carved from wood and made to represent a man or a woman with all her tribal marks and plaited hair.

Tall masquerade performing for the crowd (2019) The Centenary Project

Igunnuko Igunnuko is a tall masquerade that can lengthen or shorten itself. During special festivals like the New Yam Festival, it makes an appearance to perform for the king and the people.

Masquerade performing at Ogidi New Yam Festival (2019) The Centenary Project

Igunnuko masquerade on the roll In excitement, Igunnuko rolls on itself to amuse spectators.

Masquerades with costume made of grass (2019) The Centenary Project

Agbo Olode Agbo Olode is a masquerade that has special outings on celebratory days in Ogidi. It is important that Agbo Olode makes an appearance at Ogidi's New Yam Festival because Agbo Olode's appearance draws rain for a new planting season. Agbo Olode is a masquerade of fertility and bountiful harvest. It is believed that the heavy leaves on Agbo Olode are the people and the masquerade carry the people on itself to appease the gods.

Masquerade paying homage to a chief (2019) The Centenary Project

Agbo Olode's blessings During the ceremony, Agbo Olode is sought after for prayers and blessings as it is believed that barren women will have children once Agbo Olode sits on their thighs and offers prayers. For others who want blessings of marriage, money and bountiful harvest, Agbo Olode will sit at their feet to offer prayers to the gods.

Masquerades at Ogidi New Yam Festival (2019) The Centenary Project

Egungun Oniye Egungun Oniye means "the masquerade of feathers". As the name connotes, it is dressed with feathers from various birds and accompanied with traditional drums and local horn which is a signature of the masquerade. Egungun Oniye from Ayetoro-Gbede of Ijumu appears in celebration of Ogidi's New Yam Festival.

Curator : Omotunde Omojola Research : Omotunde Omojola Photography : Ibukun Akinjobi Text : Omotunde Omojola Editor : Munachim Amah Thanks to Chief Nike and Reuben Okundaye Special thanks to Oba Rabiu O. Sule, Ologidi of Ogidi land and the people of Ogidi Ijumu, Kogi state.

Adire: the Art of Tie and Dye

The centenary project, nigerian party jollof: the king of rice, the masters of nigerian art, a close-up on aso-oke of the yoruba, 500 years of tie and dye production, nigerian bracelets and bangles, colonial footprints: lagos, then and now, kongi's harvest: from stage to screen, birth of the nigerian colony, remarkable historical figures of ancient benin kingdom.

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How chicken is shared in an Igbo family

Iri Ji (New Yam Festival): The Origin, practice and significance in Igbo lives and culture

Yam is the most prominent crop in the social-cultural life of Ndigbo. Yam is the most staple food of the Igbos, and the importance attributed to yam in Igboland dates back to Igbos religious belief in the supreme deity (Ahiajioku) who is regarded as the goddess of productivity. 

Put literally, Ahia-ji Oku means “Ahia” (hard work, industry, trade); “Ji” (results in, brings); “Oku”(wealth, riches). Therefore, Ahia-ji Oku means “Hard work brings wealth”. This is epitomised by the fact that yam largely constituted wealth in the early traditional Igbo society and affluence is measured by the size of people’s yam barn and large household.

Yam is considered to be the king of all farm plants in Igbo land because it guaranteed the survival of Igbo race from starvation. According to history, the Eze Nri (Ancestral father of Ndigbo) was faced with the dilemma of how to address a hunger situation faced by his household that he took the drastic decision of killing his eldest son, cutting his body into small pieces and burying them. Strangely, yam tendrils were observed to have grown at the very spots where the dismembered parts of the body were buried after five months. Six months later, Eze Nri dug up large yams from his son’s grave. He cooked it and found it sweet, and he thanked the gods for the provision of yam. The cultivation yam and thanksgiving to the gods continued from then till today.

Iri ji (New yam festival) plays an important role in the lives and culture of the Igbo people. It is a cultural feast and an annual harvest festival by Ndigbo held at the end of the rainy season in various Igbo communities. It is a time of thanksgiving to the gods for making the farm yields possible and a time to pray for good yields for the next planting season. It is a highly captivating social-cultural colourful event with multiple side attractions and spectacle (dance, masquerade, fashion etc) by Igbo community to mark the end of the planting season to appreciate those who contributed to a bountiful harvest.

The preparation for the great Iri Iji Ohu festival in Igbo land is marked by the sighting of the new moon in the month of August, but the time and mode of celebration vary from community to community from early August to October each year. The first processes of the Iri Iji Ohu festival is the Iwa Ji (cutting of the yam) ceremony. Traditionally, this ceremony involves the offering the new yam to the deities and ancestors by the oldest man in the community, the king or an eminent title holder who are believed to be mediators between the ancestors and gods of the land in appreciation to God (Chukwu Okike) for his protection and kindness in seeing the community through the farming periods to a bountiful harvest. After this prayer of thanksgiving, comes the cutting and eating of the new yam, first, by the same elders, followed by others. It is worthy to note that this ceremony has now been modernised to accommodate Christian values.

Another important process of the Iri Ji Ohu festival which is no longer practiced is the traditional ritual body cleaning (imacha ahu). This is a purification ritual for preparing children to partake in the eating and celebrating of the new yam. It entails gathering children together for counselling about the importance of Ahiajoku, yam productivity and its diverse gender sensitivity, social and cultural values. The process involves laying some ogirishi (newbouldia laevis) leaves and omu (young palm tendril) on the ground to create a ritual space and contact with the earth and Ahiajoku for the purpose of washing and protecting the body. Then, each child is required to stand in front of this ritual ground and the ritual expert renders powerful incantation or prayer while passing around the head and throat of the child with a spiritual material, and requesting the child to spit out saliva on the ground. Across the body, the expert also softly brushes spiritual materials as he prays for the good health of the child and for the child to be fit to eat the new yam and celebrate the occasion peacefully.

Prior to the day of the Iri Ji festival, all old yams from the previous year’s are consumed or discarded. On the Iri Ji day, only dishes of yam are served as the festival is symbolic of the abundance of yam produce. The oldest man or the traditional ruler is normally the first person to eat the new yam and thereafter every other person can eat. Roasted yams and red oily sauce or “Upo” in Ancient Nkwerre Kingdom are used in a New Yam Festival ceremony as it is the ancient way of eating yam tuber. Celebrating the New yam festival features energetic men’s, women’s and children’s cultural dance troupes, traditional wrestling, fashion display, role reversals, Igbo masquerade jamboree, football matches, drinking of palm wine, folklores, commensality and reciprocity all of which are synonymous with the Igbo life and culture. The festival is important to the social-cultural and economic life of Ndigbo because:

• It marks the end of a yam farming cycle and the beginning of another
• It is a time of thanksgiving to the gods for making the farm yields possible, while praying for good yields for the next season
• It marks the commencement of the eating of new yam as Ndigbo are not expected to eat new yam before this celebration.
• It justifies the three aspect of Igbo worldview of been pragmatic, Religious and Appreciative
• It is a time of inspiring and impacting the survival trait of Ndigbo that Hard work brings wealth.
• It is a time of communal celebration and a day of family and friends re-union as invitation to the festival is open to all and sundry – friends, neighbours, kin relations, acquaintances, in-laws
• It is a time of community development, sanitization and sensitisation as funds are raised for community development.
• A cultural display and promotion

The new yam festival is no longer restricted to the Igbo villages. It now celebrated in the Diaspora so long as there is a high chief to bless the yam and the Igbo residents bring yam samples including rich cultural dances etc. It is an event that every Igbo son and daughter should endeavour to witness, maka ana esi n’ulo mara nma wee puwa ama. The ancient Kingdom of Nkwerre Opiaegbe invites you to the 20 th Iri Ji festival of the Eshi of Nkwerre on the 26 th August 2017.

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The Significance of the New Yam Festival in Nigerian History

Introduction.

Nigeria, located in West Africa, is a country rich in cultural traditions and festivals. Among these celebrations, the New Yam Festival holds a special place in Nigerian society. This festival, deeply rooted in the country’s history and agricultural practices, serves as a key cultural event that symbolizes prosperity, unity, and gratitude. This essay explores the importance of the New Yam Festival in Nigeria’s history, examining its origins, rituals, and cultural significance.

Origins and celebration of  the New Yam Festival

Igbo, Yoruba, and Idoma are among the ethnic groups in Nigeria that participate in the New Yam Festival, also known as Iri Ji. Its origins can be found in early agricultural techniques when the yam crop was an essential component of communities’ subsistence and economic prosperity.

The festival is deeply intertwined with religious and spiritual beliefs. The yam, regarded as the “king of crops,” is associated with deities and ancestral spirits. The festival’s purpose is to offer thanks to these entities for a bountiful harvest and seek their blessings for future prosperity

The New Yam Festival marks the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the harvest season for yams. Prior to the festival, yams are harvested from the fields, cleaned, and prepared for consumption. The first harvested yams, known as “new yams,” hold special significance in the festival .

In preparation for the festival, yams are paraded and displayed in a prominent place within the community. A ceremonial fire, often called “Oji,” is ignited, and the head of the community offers prayers and blessings to the yams, deities, and ancestors. Yam slices are also shared as offerings to the spirits .

The New Yam Festival is accompanied by vibrant cultural performances, including music, dance, masquerades, and theatrical displays. Traditional attire, adornments, and face painting are common during these festivities. A grand feast takes place, where yam-based dishes are prepared and shared among community members

Cultural Significance of the New Yam Festival

The New Yam Festival holds great importance in many cultures, particularly in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa. Also known as the “Yam Harvest Festival” or “Iri Ji Ohuru,” it is an annual celebration that marks the beginning of the yam harvest season. Here are some key reasons why the New Yam Festival is significant:

• Harvest Celebration : The festival serves as a way to celebrate the successful yam harvest, which is a staple crop in many West African communities. Yam is considered a vital food source and a symbol of prosperity, so the festival allows people to rejoice in the abundance of the harvest.
• Cultural Preservation: The New Yam Festival plays a crucial role in preserving and promoting cultural heritage. It is deeply rooted in the traditions, customs, and beliefs of various communities. During the festival, people showcase their cultural dances, music, attire, and folklore, passing them down to younger generations.
• Thanksgiving and Gratitude : The festival is a time for expressing gratitude to the gods, ancestors, and spirits believed to have blessed the land and crops. People offer prayers, rituals, and sacrifices to show their appreciation for a bountiful harvest and seek blessings for the coming year. ‍
• Social Cohesion : The New Yam Festival strengthens social ties within communities. It brings people together, fostering a sense of unity, cooperation, and solidarity. It is an opportunity for families, friends, and neighbors to come together, share meals, exchange gifts, and engage in communal activities.
• ‍ Economic Significance : Yam cultivation is a significant economic activity for many communities, and the festival has economic implications as well. It provides a platform for farmers and traders to showcase their yam produce, promoting local trade and commerce. It can also attract tourists and visitors, contributing to the local economy. ‍
• Cultural Education : The festival serves as an educational platform, especially for younger generations. It provides an opportunity for them to learn about their cultural heritage, traditional values, and agricultural practices. Elders pass on their knowledge, wisdom, and skills related to farming, food processing, and traditional rituals. ‍
• Spiritual and Religious Significance: In many communities, the New Yam Festival has strong spiritual and religious connotations. It involves various rituals, invocations, and offerings to deities or gods associated with fertility, agriculture, and abundance. It is believed that performing these rituals ensures continued blessings and fertility for the land and its people.

Overall, the New Yam Festival is a vibrant and significant cultural event that celebrates the harvest, promotes unity, and preserves the traditions and customs of the communities involved. It serves as a reminder of the importance of agriculture, gratitude, and the interdependence between humans and nature.

• Akpojivi, U. (2019). Nigeria’s cultural festivals: A catalyst for social development and tourism. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports, 2(2), 13-21.
• Ebigbo, P. O. (2015). Festival calendar and the socioreligious activities of the Igbos of Nigeria. OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development, 8(11), 29-42.
• Ezeigbo, T. U. (2016). Aesthetics and cultural politics of Igbo new yam festival. Research in African Literatures, 47(2), 131-149.
• Nzewi, M. (2018). Harvest festivals and the performative arts in Nigeria: A comparative study of New Yam, Ato, and Agbo festivals. African Performance Review, 10(2), 1-23.
• Okafor, C. C. (2017). The New Yam Festival (Iwa Ji): Historical antecedents, cultural contentions and symbolic significance. Nigerian Journal of African Studies, 5(1), 44-58.
• Source : picture Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/infomatique/2812921930/

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Iwa Ji- The New Yam Festival In Igbo Land

Yams are an excellent source of fibre, high in potassium and manganese, which are important for supporting bone health, growth, metabolism, and heart function. Yam tubers also provide a decent amount of other micronutrients such as copper and vitamin C.

Among the Igbo tribe of Nigeria, West Africa, it is obvious that the most cherished and respected crop is the yam.

While giving credence to the Igbo preference of the yam crop, Chinua Achebe, in his most revered novel, ‘Things Fall Apart’, described yam as the “king of all crops”.

The culture of yam cultivation and preservation is an age-long attribute of the ‘Igbos’ which has successfully travelled from the time of our ancestors down to this day.

The New Yam Festival popularly known as “Orureshi, Iwa ji, Iri ji, Ike ji, or Otute (depending on dialect) is an annual cultural festival by the Igbo people usually held at the end of the rainy season in early August to October every year.

It is one of the traditional and cultural festivities Igbo people do not play with. Without performing this festival as individuals or in groups, no full-fledged or matured man eats new yam in Igbo land.

The festival is done at the community level first. In turn, individuals in their own way and capacity celebrate with members of families and friends, thereby kicking off the eating of new yam in these families that participated in the community ceremony, whether they have money to celebrate with the others or not.

In most families in Igbo land, wives and children can start eating new yam, without the men or heads of the families joining them and this is because the men regard it as an abomination to eat new yam without celebrating it with the ancestors.

For instance, the Afikpo New Yam Festival “IKE JI” is one of the top festivals in Afikpo, Ebonyi State in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria. It is a festival that begins with a series of activities weeks before the final ceremonial day.

First, a large council of elders meets in a serious conference called Ngidi-Ngidi to decide the date of the festival.

Then other activities in preparation for the festival follow in a sequence that is normally dictated by centuries-old traditional practices and timelines handed down from generation to generation.

On the eve of the festival day, a ceremony called “Ichu Aho” takes place between late night and the early morning hours before the festival day. During the “Ichu Aho”, the youths effect a ritual of chasing away the old year away with lit torches and other flammable materials which symbolises clearing the way for the new year to emerge.

As the first day of the year (the festival day) dawns, the locals (of which some of them that are just returning from the Ichu Aho ceremony) offer prayers for the new year and prepare for the feasting that will take place throughout the day.

Most households will expect to entertain immediate and extended family members, neighbours, and visitors from out of town.

The traditional New Yam Festival dish is pounded yam and “the sarara” (a white-coloured soup made with chunks of grounded egusi seeds and assorted meat).

The rest of the day is spent exchanging visits, gifts (especially for children who visit uncles and cousins) eating, drinking, and catching up with folks.

Some family groups and town associations also use the occasion to host annual meetings and fundraisers for various projects.

Also, the Abiriba new yam festival is characterised by special ceremonies like the annual dance of the maidens from Amanta in Ameke community of Abiriba Kingdom.

These maidens who are also believed to be virgins, pure and undefiled by any man, perform this sacred dance. It is also the time the young girls who are now ripe enough for marriage show off their beautiful figures and dancing prowess to young men from Amanta and other prospective husbands from other communities making up the Abiriba Kingdom.

There is usually great excitement towards this dance, especially to the young men who see it as an opportunity to get their brides.

These festivals symbolise that the year is fruitful and that harvests are bountiful.

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Nigeria: How New Yam Festival keeps Igbo's rooted traditions alive

By Charles Mgbolu

Local kings turn out in symbolic regalia, and traditional masquerades take to the streets in a vibrant display of culture and acrobatics during the New Yam Festival, a key part of the tradition of Igbo people in southeastern Nigeria.

This traditional spectacle is part of the annual New Yam Festival that marks the beginning and end of the farming season. In many ways, it is a celebration of life, common accomplishments, shared culture, and the community's well-being.

The ceremony begins with a collective prayer, followed by the community partaking of freshly harvested yam. The tubers are roasted, dipped in palm oil, and washed down with the local brew.

Over the past decade, the festival has transcended geography, being celebrated with equal vigour by the diaspora — from the US to mainland China.

"We have been celebrating this festival every year now for 11 years," Chief Godwin Anyaogu, president-general of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo in Ghana, an Igbo cultural organisation, tells TRT Afrika.

"Every year, we put a strong statement forward: that we are extremely proud of our culture and our way of life. The New Yam Festival is special to us Igbos because it represents an assurance of the reward of hard work. We spend months toiling and cultivating, and now we rejoice because we have a bountiful harvest," he explains.

Precious legacy

The festival surrounding yam, a staple of the region, is the most significant cultural activity in Igboland — a trademark event that cuts across communities represented by over 30 dialects, according to the International Centre for Language Technology.

In the mythology of the Igbo people, the earth (called Ala in the Igbo dialect) is a powerful goddess, a ruler of the underworld, and custodian of fertility. Legend has it that Mother Earth gifted the Igbo people in the form of a rich harvest of yam.

No wonder then that yam plays a critical role in the mythical Igbo palate. It is believed to have been served to kings, help lift curses, and presented as sacrifices in local polytheistic beliefs.

Harvesting a rich yield of yam is also symbolic, signalling that the year will be fruitful for other crops to be harvested in the course of the season.

During the New Yam Festival, investors, good deeds and other accomplishments within the community are also recognised. Chieftaincy titles are given to deserving individuals, especially entrepreneurs who have built industries and created opportunities for the locals.

"Traditionally, the festivities should be on native Igbo soil, but most Igbos who build a life elsewhere don't usually come back. So, the festival has morphed substantially in its characteristics for it to be celebrated anywhere in the world," says Prof Chigozie Nnabuihe, a lecturer in Igbo language and culture at the University of Lagos, Nigeria.

In the Igbo culture, failure to celebrate the annual event is regarged a grave offence, or an act of ingratitude that is believed to affect one's prospects of having a good year.

Western influence

Like many African cultural events, the New Yam Festival swims against a powerful tide of challenges.

While unpredictable weather systems continue to stun the world, credits of mythological narratives decrease. Whereas the first impacts the yam harvest yields and the latter the attendance to the festival.

"Yes, we have been feeling the impact of climate change on our yields. It is not peculiar to our land alone. This is happening across the globe," says Anyaogu.

"The rains do not come as strong as they used to, and farmers have recorded a gross reduction in their harvest yields. However, we remain hopeful that it will never get to the point of starvation for our people."

Another challenge is Westernisation making slow but steady inroads into African cultural trademarks. Many teens in the cities have heard of festivities like the New Yam Festival, but as much as they follow eurocentric entertainment world, interest in yam festival is dwindling.

Economic instability is another factor leading to hundreds of thousands of migrations every year, in turn impacting repositories of culture such as festivals.

Social media attraction

In 2022 alone, the Nigerian Immigration Service said over 1.8 million international passports were issued, the highest figure in a single year in the last seven years.

If this continues with such intensity, cultural events like the New Yam Festival could be in danger, say experts. This is particularly concerning following a 2012 warning from UNESCO that the Igbo language is in danger of extinction. There is an ominous ring to this as many young Igbos already struggle to fluently communicate in the language.

But Anyaogu sees the New Yam Festival playing a key role in helping keep the cultural embers of the region burning, irrespective of the challenges of the times.

"The erosion of tradition is a serious concern, and that is why we make an extra effort to heighten the celebrations around the yam festival every year. We need to rise above the noise that distracts our children, and continue to be visible and relevant to them."

Recent editions of the festival have met young people where they are: on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and every other major social media channel.

Patrick Adigwe from the Ibusa community in Delta State, Nigeria, never fails to stream the event on YouTube. "This (dissemination through social media) is important because we need to pass this tradition to the coming generation. The festival is beyond just a festival for us; it is our weapon for survival," he tells TRT Afrika.

Prof Nnabuihe has a more philosophical take on where tradition stands in the modern scheme of things. "New sprouts will always shoot from where a mighty tree has fallen. This is the natural course of life," he says.

"We continue to have a significant number of young people who are still very culturally minded, irrespective of the time and trends that they are in. They are the ones who will continue to be an influence and spread the message of the New Yam Festival and other African festivals."

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New Yam Festival – An Igbo cultural and ancestral heritage

In Igbo land, the occasion of Iri-ji ohuu (new-yam eating) is a cultural festival because of its significance. For those who may want to know, Yam is the main agricultural crop of the Igbos and also the staple food of her people. The New Yam Festival known as ‘Iwa-Ji’ or ‘Iri-Ji’ is therefore a celebration depicting the prominence of yam in the social-cultural life of Igbo people.

Thus, different communities have their days for this august occasion during which assortment of festivities mark the eating of new yam. Depending on the communities, the style and method of the festivity differs, but the essential components that surround the event always remain the same. In some communities the festivities last the whole day and in many places it may stretch up to one week or even more. These festivities normally include a lot of variety entertainment including performance of ceremonial rites by the Igwe (King), cultural dances by Igbo men, women and their children as well as a display of Igbo cultural activities in the form of contemporary shows, masquerade dance, fashion parade, and feasting at a grand scale on a wide variety of food making up the menu of the Igbos.

Usually at the beginning of the festival, the yams are offered to gods and ancestors first before distributing them to the villagers. The ritual is performed either by the oldest man in the community or by the king or eminent title holder. After the prayer of thanksgiving to god, they eat the first yam because it is believed that their position gives them the privilege of being intermediaries between their communities and the gods of the land. The rituals involved in the new yam eating are meant to express the community’s appreciation to the gods for making the harvest of their yams possible. This therefore explains the three aspect of Igbo worldview, that they are Pragmatic, religious and appreciative.

To the Igbos, therefore, the day is symbolic of enjoyment after the cultivation season and a day of showing gratitude to god for his protection and kindness in leading them from lean periods to the time of bountiful harvest without deaths resulting from hunger. Iwa-ji is therefore an important event in the calendar of Igbo people all over the world.

This ceremony has been celebrated for centuries and as has always presented the right conditions for all and sundry, family and friends to come together to demonstrate their commitment and solidarity to their local community. Due to this fact, the Igbos every where in the world do celebrate this event in a highly captivating manner in order to protect and celebrate the enriched cultural heritage of her people.

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Significance of New Yam Festival in Igbo Society of Nigeria Significance of New Yam Festival in Igbo Society of Nigeria

Emume Iwa Ji na Iri Ji Ohuru - Across Igboland and among the Igbo of Nigeria in the diaspora, the month of August, as it is now, is gladdened with

The New Yam Festival – History, Essense, Full Facts

It is known by different names across Igboland, Iri Ji, Onwa Asaa, Iwa Ji, or Orurueshi, etc. It is one Igbo tradition that has refused to be sunken by the emergence of Christianity, especially the kind that treats everything traditional as heathen. The new yam festival is up there with the top two or three annual festivals in most Igbo communities. 

First, it is noteworthy that the new yam festival is not just celebrated in Igboland, several communities in West Africa mark this great festival under different names. The origin of this festival cannot be traced to any particular tribe or country. Each tribe has a unique story of how the new yam festival came to be and its significance in their culture.

For the Igbo people of southeastern and its environs, Nigeria, the history and significance of the New Yam festival are like an institution that has been weathered by the storm yet holds forth.

In the coming months, Igbo communities both home and abroad will be up in a frenzy about the New Yam Festival, are you wondering what is the background story, here you have it.

The story of its beginning 

Stories abound on the subject of how the Ney Yam festival came to be, one of the stories that have proven popular is the myth of Eze Nri.

Once upon an ancient time, people were dying, men and women, young and old, plants withered, waters dried up and animals died in droves. A prolonged and severe famine was ravishing the land.

The people cried out to their king to find a way out of this disaster. Eze Nri had sleepless nights over the famine that plagued Igboland, which was a communal unit then, in the quest for the solution. He was told to kill his two children by the oracle.

After killing his two children Ahiajoku and Ada, he sliced their bodies into smaller pieces and buried them. A few days or six months later, depending on the version you have heard, plants started growing from the molds where their body parts were buried. When Eze and his people harvested them, they found yams and cocoyam from them. 

This was how Ahiajoku became the god of yam, and Ada the goddess of cocoyam.

In some Igbo mythology, however, the deity of yam is a goddess named Ahia Njoku, represented by an effigy against the walls of barns and shrines.

The yam saved the people from the famine, thus, it became something of reverence. The reverence of the yam transcended from just been a staple crop to something that is celebrated, children were named after the crop, and rites were observed to honor it.

The New Yam Festival And Its Essence

Traditional Igbo people are agrarian by nature. Yams are the first crops to be harvested and an important crop in the culture of the people. The New Yam Festival symbolizes/upholds the importance of the food crop in their socio-cultural life. 

Even though the essence of the festival has been watered down over the years, the enthusiasm and efforts put into the preparation of the event remain the same albeit a notch lower. The pomp and the glamour attached to it both in diaspora and home attract attention.

Today the New Yam Festival is celebrated in honor of Ahiajoku (Ajoku, Njoku, Ajokwuji) across all Igboland. In some communities, it is taboo to eat yam before the festival, hence it is called ‘Iri Ji’ which translates to ‘eating yam’. 

In some other communities, it heralds the completion of the harvesting season and the beginning of a new year, it is also a time to thank the gods and ancestors for keeping them and thus why it is called “Onwa Asaa” in some quarters. 

The festival is a celebration of the importance of yam in the socio-cultural lives of the people of the community. It was described as the crowning ceremony of the year. The new yam is evidence of a good life with accomplishments.

Some people trace the origin of the festival from the Arochukwu community, because of the influence they wield in Igboland at that time, the practice spread to other Igbo communities. 

There is no specific day in the year that is set aside for the festival, every year, the Igwe or the Chief Priest consults with the gods/ancestors before fixing a day for the New Yam Festival. In some communities, the celebration lasts for a whole week or just a day. 

Importance Of The Kola Nut In Igboland

After the announcement of the festival date, it is followed up by the cleansing period. The cleansing period is the time where they seek the face of the goods, ridding the land of anything that is considered unholy including people who had indulged in one atrocity or the other. 

In some communities, during this period fighting or anything that will disturb the peace of the community is tabooed to avoid the wrath of the gods. 

It is believed that a spiritual body cleansing is required for the coming new year, children are specially prepared for a ritual body wash called imacha ahu iri ji mmiri. It involves bathing them with plants such as fresh grass, Ogirishi leaves (newbouldia laevis), Omu (young palm tendril).

It was a great sacrilege to Ala to eat new yam before the festival in the old Igbo era. A day before the Iri Ji, all old yams are consumed or discarded, only new dishes of yam are served at the festival.

It is an atmosphere of colors on the day of the festival, different rituals and recreational activities take the order of the day. 

After the breaking of the customary Kolanut as in any Igbo occasion, the Igwe or chief priest takes the first bite of the roasted yam presented before offering to the gods. He pours libation and offers thanksgiving to the gods for a successful harvest and year. After the rites, the new yams are now sanctified for eating by the villagers. 

Every household in turns performs its own rites, presenting four to eight yams for prayers. After the prayers, the head of the household cuts off small parts of the yam at the ends as a token to Ahiajoku. The other parts of the yams are cooked with palm oil and chicken as the body and blood of Ahiajoku.

Despite the little or non-substantial history backing up the celebration of the new yam festival, the culture continues to thrive, it answers the question to varying degrees of satisfaction, “what does this mean to Igbo people?”

In a sum, the New Yam Festival embodies the Igbo philosophy that informs how they approach life: pragmatic, religious, and appreciative.

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New Yam Festival (Iri Ji) Of The Igbo People

New Yam Festival or Iri Ji Festivals, which are normaly held during August are one of the signature festivals of the Igbo people. To the Igbo people, yam is their traditional first harvested crop. So, a festival is held to thank God for a successful ‘farming season’ and yam harvest. It is akin to Thanksgiving Day of the Americans. Read this educative write up below about the Iri Ji Festival. It tells a lot about Iri Ji, including the fact that it has been adapted in some cases to accomodate Christian or secular realities. Enjoy:

by Anthony-Claret Onwutalobi Emume Iwa Ji na Iri Ji Ohuru – Across Igboland and among the Igbo of Nigeria in the diaspora, the month of August, as it is now, is gladdened with the celebration of New Yam called iwa ji and iri ji ohuru. This is best pictured in the framing of the ceremony by Chinua Achebe’s work as far back as in the 1950s. As Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958) describes: “The pounded yam dish placed in front of the partakers of the festival was as big as a mountain. People had to eat their way through it all night and it was only during the following day when the pounded yam “mountain” had gone down that people on one side recognized and greeted their family members on the other side of the dish for the first time.” This brief submission explains the significance of the celebration of new yam festival in Igbo society and among the Igbo wherever they may live outside of Igboland. It answers the question, what is new yam and why is new yam such an important ceremony and identity of the Igbo of Nigeria? Why are Igbo children particularly ritually cleansed before partaking in the eating of new yam? The essay adopts a straightforward approach drawing from experience and participation in new yam festivities at home and in diaspora. New Yam festival in Igboland of Nigeria or among the Igbo and their friends in Diaspora is always marked with pomp and pageantry. The occasion of Iwa Ji and Iri-ji Ohuru or new-yam eating festival is a cultural feast with its deep significance. The individual agrarian communities or subsistence agricultural population groups, have their days for this august occasion during which a range of festivities mark the eating of new yam. To the Igbo, therefore, the day is symbolic of enjoyment after the cultivation season. Yam culture is momentous with hoe-knife life to manage the planting and tending of tuberous requirements. Yam farmers in Isu Njaba of Igboland know this well. Drawing from Nri, the ancestral clan of Igboland, Dr. Okechukwu Ikejiani states that “?WA JI” (to break new yam) is observed as a public function on certain appointed days of the year. It is the feast of new yam; the breaking of the yam; and harvest is followed by thanksgiving. An offering is put forward and the people pray for renewed life as they eat the new yam. An offering is made to the spirits of the field with special reference to the presiding deity of the yam crop. In the olden days, fowls offered as sacrifice must be carried to the farm and slain there, with the blood being sprinkled on the farm. Yam is cut into some sizes and thrown to the gods and earth with prayers for protection and benevolence. When the ceremony is completed, everything is taken home; the yams are laid up before the “Alusi” (deity) together with all the farming implements, while the fowls boiled and prepared with yam for soup (ji awii, ji mmiri oku) are eaten at the subsequent feast. Everyone is allowed to partake in this and those who are not immediately around are kept portions of the commensal meal. Another significant aspect of the ritual not discussed by writers in this field is the preparation of children to partake in the eating and celebrating of the new yam – called ritual body wash, imacha ahu iri ji mmiri (consequently, ji mmiri, connotes fresh yam, new yam). The belief is that to take in a new thing into the body, it is important to cleanse the body and in this case a new yam deserves a clean body achieved through dedication and purification ritual. As a child, my own grandfather, a ritual expert and healer, never allowed all the children in our village to mark new yam festival without first of all gathering us together and counselling us on the importance of Ahiajoku, yam productivity and its diverse gender sensitivity, social and cultural miracle. He would lay on the ground some fresh grass and some leaves of ogirishi (newbouldia laevis) and other requirements such as omu (young palm tendril). These are employed to create a ritual space and contact with the earth and Ahiajoku to wash and protect the body. One at a time, each child is made to stand in front of this ritual ground and the ritual expert would render a powerful incantation or prayer while passing around the head and throat a bunch of the materials asking the child to spit out saliva on the ground. Across the body the expert also softly brushes materials as he prays for the good health of the chap to be fit to eat the new yam and celebrate the occasion peacefully. Parents took it upon themselves to present their children to the therapist to undergo the cleaning of the body and enacting accord of order and health in the enduring Igbo new yam festival setting. Today, Igbo people in urban centres and in foreign lands celebrate new yam with equal amount of curiosity and zeal to re-engage their life-world and cosmological values. Not long ago, the six geo-political states of the Igbo gathered at the National Theatre in Lagos and uniquely celebrated the New Yam Festival, with Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and others leading the rite as a unique heritage and integral thing of the Igbo World. In celebrating the New Yam Festival, the whole community shares in this harvest and thanksgiving called “Afia-ji Oku”. Celebration is extended to the open market squares and streets where spectacular dances, songs and running around in organized groups, including all forms of jubilation and role reversals are played out and hailed in a carnival mood (ima ijere, ima ahia). As the biggest of yam communal rites, it is described as iri ji ohuru, iri ji mmiri, iro ofo, ofala and ibu ji aro (the latter being common among the people of Ehime in Mbano of Imo State. The Ibu ji aro is the largest market outing fanfare where a unique yam called “ji aro” is jubilantly carried to the big market when it is in full session on a chosen traditional big market day and time by the very head leader of Ahiajoku deity of Umuezeala community in Ehime area. As observed, a special site of Ahiajoku deity around the market is paid homage with prayers and items such as kola nuts, fowls and yams. A thunderously high ovation is echoed by market men and women upon sitting the big yam – ji aro, decorated with young palm tendril, fowl and traditional dancers on approach to the market and inside the market as the celebration catches a moment of pushing and jumping up and down by onlookers to catch a glimpse of the huge yam and the carnivals around it. In Ehime area, new yam cannot be eaten until ji aro goes to and returns from the market of Nkwo Umuezeala. Not only stories held that catastrophes and strange things happen in the locality at any time the rule and taboos around ji aro tradition are violated or ignored but also specific cases and references to individuals and families affected due to subversion against ji aro are commonly and typically known. As such, the community as a whole celebrate and preserve the heritage annually in August called onwa ano Umuezeala (forth month of Umuezeala people). At a time I conducted fieldwork on Igbo Medicine and culture; I had paid attention to the rites of new yam and interacted with the village where ji aro has a high esteem for individual and community renewal. Indeed, the meaning of ji aro can only be fully understood by living with the community and experiencing it firsthand in the month of August every year. Guests of the celebrating community pour out in large numbers to appreciate their hosts with excitement and applause as dances and songs, shooting of guns by young and old, drumming and sounding of the big wooden gong, and indeed, all else provide a vibrant social ambience of lineage, kinship, neighbourhood, workplace, school, business and friendship connections. Compounds, pathways, local rivers and streams, including markets and deity sites are cleared and kept clean for indigenes and guests to have a feel of the geographical beauty of the community. A community facing new yam festival – from home to stream and market arenas experiences the best of its cleanliness and physical features as an important part of the meaning of the festival also. Different communities describe this aspect as clearing roads festival while others attribute it to mean the same thing as new yam festival which equally connotes harvesting, clearing and cleansing. Dr. Okechukwu Ikejiani further states that the meaning and significance of the name “Afia-ji Oku” is worth explaining. For him, the idea behind “Afia-ji Oku” seems to indicate exertion, industry, to strive after, hence to trade; “ji”, to lay hold of and “Oku” riches. Thus, the full meaning is: “Industry or trade brings wealth.” In those days, yam largely constituted wealth. A man is evaluated by the size of his yam barn (Oba Ji), large household and ability to earn a good living and help others in society. The rite of new yam is to re-enact a bounty harvest and wealth for the celebrants. The importance is further captured in seeing the new yam festival as a tradition, and one of which culminates the end of a yam farming cycle and the beginning of another. That is perhaps why in Igbo cultural setting, invitation to the festival is open to all and sundry – friends, neighbours, kin relations, acquaintances, in-laws, etc. The carnival mood and graciousness at extending invitations and welcoming every visitor and guest means that there is plenty of food to enjoy as opposed to lack of food to live on. In Igbo society, the culture of cutting, iwa; and eating, iri; of the first yam is performed by the oldest man in the community or the Eze, King. Privileged by the elder-ship and title-ship positions in society, it is believed the senior members of the community mediate between the ancestors and gods of the land. The totality of rituals around the new yam eating express the community’s appreciation and renewal with the gods for making the harvest of farm yields possible and successful. As confirmed by Dr. Okechukwu Ikejiani and other observers and informants, new yam is not eaten until due rite is accorded to the god of yam called Ahiajoku, ifejioku and ajoku. Igbo people answer names rooted to the deity of yam such as Njoku, Nwanjoku. Also titles are taken after the deity for distinguished farmers such as Eze-Ji, Owa-ji and Mma-ji. In 1979, when Prof. Michael Echeruo delivered the inaugural Ahiajoku Lecture, he carefully observed the deep significance of yam and yam festival as though a male crop, it identifies with a beautiful Igbo cultural identity and heritage. Varieties of the yam tuber were introduced to Igboland in the late 19th century by the Portuguese traders and explorers of farm produce. Along the West African coastal belt, yam cultivation and celebration is also well known. But why new yam festival is highly pronounced in Igbo even more than in other none Igbo yam producing communities is best explained to mean how the Igbo cherish, adore and intensively farm the crop as a key staple commodity with a masculine fanfare. Of course, there are several sexual nuances associated with Ji, yam, king of crops, as a male crop and a male thing. For insight, see Iroegbu Patrick’s book, Marrying Wealth, Marrying Poverty (2007). Marriage in Igboland cannot occur without Ji as a male power, to behold. Cocoa yam is a supportive crop-kin of yam much as male is to female. Celebrating the New yam fest is common with energetic men’s, women’s and children’s cultural dance troupes, in addition to fashion display, role reversals, Igbo masquerade jamboree, heavy drinking of palm wine, folklores, commensality and reciprocity all of which are synonymous with the iwa ji and iri-ji ohuru in Igbo life and culture. The Iwa Ji Afo (annual yam cutting) is one of the biggest festivals celebrated by the Igbo beginning in the month of August of each year. Celebration lasts up to December of the year. In the period in which many communities celebrate their new yam festival, marriages are withheld as well as funerals. Serving food during the new yam festival is lavished on dishes of yam since the festival is symbolic of the abundance of the produce. Enough yam is cooked such that no matter how heavily guests and family members may eat, there is always enough at the end of the day. It is, in that sense, a season of merriment, commensality, abundance and hanging out together. Accordingly to Ugo Daniels (2007), this is also noticed in other West African regions such as in some Ghanaian communities where the feast is dubbed “Homowo” or “To Hoot at Hunger” Festival. Here the people ritually mock against famine and apparently hope for a good harvest so no famine will hit the people in the coming year. Essentially, the harvest of yam and the celebration of the deity of the land given the New Yam festival consist in expression of the people’s religious belief in the supreme deity as a giver of yam and donor of good harvest. With the coming of the new moon in August (onwa ano or onwa asato), marked is the preparation for the grand iri ji ohuru festival; but again the time and mood of preparation varies from one autonomous community to another. The New Yam festival is such a highly appealing event to the extent that dominant religions such as Christianity, in particular, Catholic Dioceses and Parishes have enculturated iwa ji and iri ji ohuru in Christian worship and celebration (cf. Chris Manus 2007). Informants referred to cases where Iri Ji Festival is called Ji Maria, Ji Madonna and Ji Joseph to venerate the Holy Virgin Mary as the Mother Earth and of whole produce to glorify God. This is a development that shows how dynamic cultures are embraced for change and continuity. Typically, New Yam Festival provides a heritage of dances, feasting, renewal of kinship alliances, as well as marks the end of one agricultural season with a harvest to express gratitude and thanksgiving to the society, gods, friends and relations. Thanks to IPUNA, it is a fabulous New Yam Festival in Edmonton of Alberta for the Igbo and their friends. New Yam Fest is as cultural as it brings life, identity renewal, solidarity and progress! Enjoy. Igbo Kwenu! ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. This short essay and speech were presented in the Event Brochure and gathering for the New Yam Festival in Edmonton of Canada (Saturday, July 31, 2010) to mark the Isu Njaba People’s Union of North America in Edmonton – the Host City, for the 2010 Fund Raising Engagement to support school renovations at home (contact: [email protected]; website: www.edmontonnewyamfestival.com). The Mayor of the City, His Lordship, Stephen Mandel and other High Profile Guests representing the Alberta Premier and various Ministers of Education and Culture witnessed the New Yam Celebration. Dr. Patrick Iroegbu, current President of the Igbo Cultural Association of Edmonton and a published author [see Two New Book Releases: Introduction to Igbo Medicine and Culture in Nigeria (2010) and Healing Insanity: A Study of Igbo Medicine in Contemporary Nigeria (2010) – see website: www.healinginsanityigbomedicine.com/author.htm]  mobilized the Igbo in Edmonton for the remarkable event filled with cultural performances and display of rich Igbo cultural heritage. Earlier in the month, Saturday July 3, the association held its stunning 2nd Igbo Cultural Day, 2010 and the news was carried by the Igbo Radio of the Voice of Nigeria also.

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New Yam Festival of the Igbo

The New Yam Festival of the Igbo people (known as Orureshi in Idoma , or Iwa ji , Iri ji , Ike ji , or Otute depending on dialect) is an annual cultural festival by the Igbo people that is held at the end of the rainy season in early August . [1] [2] [3]

Igbo tradition

Ịwa-ji ceremony, external links.

The Iri ji festival (literally " new-yam eating ") [4] is practiced throughout West Africa (especially in Nigeria and Ghana ) [1] and other African countries and beyond. [5] It symbolizes the conclusion of a harvest and the beginning of the next work cycle. The celebration is a cultural occasion tying individual Igbo communities together as essentially agrarian and dependent on yam . [2]

Yams are among the first set of crops to be planted at the beginning of the planting season. Between April and August, early crops such as maize, cocoyams, and pumpkins are harvested and eaten without fanfare. [ citation needed ] The New Yam Festival is, therefore, a celebration depicting the prominence of yam in the social-cultural life of the Igbo people [ citation needed ] . In some Igbo communities, all old yams (from the previous year's crop) must be consumed or discarded on the eve of the New Yam Festival [6] .The next day, only dishes of yam are served at the feast, as the festival is symbolic of the abundance of the produce. [7] [8]

Though the style and methods may differ from one community to the next, the essential components that make up the festival remain the same. In some communities, the celebration lasts a whole day, while in many places it may last a week or more. These festivities normally include a variety of entertainments and ceremonies, including the performance of rites by the Igwe ( King ), or the eldest man, and cultural dances by Igbo men, women, and their children. The festival features Igbo cultural activities in the form of contemporary shows, masquerade dances, and fashion parades. [9]

Usually, at the beginning of the festival, the yams are offered to the gods and ancestors first before distributing them to the villagers. The ritual is performed either by the oldest man in the community or by the king or eminent titleholder. [10] [11] [12] This man also offers the yams to god, deities , and ancestors by showing gratitude to the supreme deity for his protection and kindness in leading them from lean periods to the time of bountiful harvest without deaths resulting from hunger. [7] After the prayer of thanksgiving to their god, they eat the first yam because It is believed that their position bestows the privilege of being intermediaries between their communities and the gods of the land. The rituals are meant to express the gratitude of the community to the gods for making the harvest possible, and they are widely followed despite more modern changes due to the influence of Christianity in the area. [11] This, therefore, explains the three aspects of the Igbo worldview, that they are pragmatic, religious, and appreciative. [13]

The day is symbolic of enjoyment after the cultivation season, and the plenty is shared with friends and well-wishers. [11] A variety of festivities mark the eating of new yam. Folk dances , masquerades , parades , and parties create an experience that some participants characterize as "art"; the colorful festival is a spectacle of exhibited joy, thanks, and community display. [7]

The yam used for the main ritual at the festival is usually roasted and served with palm oil ( mmanụ nri ). Iwa ji also shares some similarities with the Asian Mid-Autumn Festival , as both are based on the cycles of the moon and are essentially community harvest festivals.

This event is important in the calendar of Igbo people all over the world.

The harvest of yam and the celebration of the gods of the land through the New Yam festival is an epitome of the people's religious belief in the supreme deity. The coming of the new moon in August marks the preparation for the great "Iri Ji Ohu" festival, but the time and mode of preparation differs from community to community. [9] [14]

The New Yam festival is a highly captivating art event. The colourful festival is a visual spectacle of coherence, of dance, of joy and feasting, an annual display for community members, to mark the end of the cultivation season, a festival where the people express their gratitude to those that helped them reap a bountiful harvest. [15] [16]

• Ikeji festival
• Ito Ogbo Festival
• Ogwu Ekpeye [17]

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Odinani or Odinala , also known as Omenala , Omenana , Odinana , Ọmenani , Ọdịlalị , or Ọdịlala , are the traditional cultural beliefs and practices of the Igbo people of south east Nigeria. These terms, as used here in the Igbo language, are synonymous with the traditional Igbo "religious system" which was not considered separate from the social norms of ancient or traditional Igbo societies. Theocratic in nature, spirituality played a huge role in their everyday lives. Although it has largely been supplanted by Christianity, the indigenous belief system remains in strong effect among the rural and village populations of the Igbo, where it has at times influenced the colonial religions. Odinani is a pantheistic and polytheistic faith, having a strong central deity at its head. All things spring from this deity. Although a pantheon of other gods and spirits, these being Ala, Amadiọha, Anyanwụ, Ekwensu, Ikenga, exists in the belief system, as it does in many other Traditional African religions, the lesser deities prevalent in Odinani serve as helpers or elements of Chukwu, the central deity.

Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi State to the north.

Nnewi is a commercial and industrial city in Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria. It is the second largest city in Anambra state after Onitsha. Nnewi as a metropolitan area has two local government area, which are Nnewi North and Nnewi South. Even Ekwusigo local government area is now part of Nnewi urban area, as urbanization continues to spread from Nnewi to neighbouring communities. Nnewi North comprises four quarters: Otolo, Uruagu, Umudim, and Nnewichi. The first indigenous car manufacturing plant in Nigeria is located in the city while the first wholly Made-in-Nigeria motorcycle, the 'NASENI M1' was manufactured in Nnewi.

Ekpeye people also known as Ekpeye Kingdom is one of the ethnic groups in Rivers State, Niger Delta, Nigeria.They are predominantly found in Ahoada East and some in Ahoada West local government areas in Rivers. Ahoada is an Ekpeye city in Rivers, Nigeria.

Ejemekwuru is an Igbo-speaking community that sits in the North-Western part of Imo State in the southeastern region of Nigeria.

The Kingdom of Nri was a medieval polity located in what is now Nigeria. The kingdom existed as a sphere of religious and political influence over a significant part of what is known today as Igboland prior to expansion, and was administered by a priest-king called an Eze Nri . The Eze Nri managed trade and diplomacy on behalf of the Nri people, a subgroup of the Igbo-speaking people, and possessed divine authority in religious matters.

Igbo culture are the customs, practices and traditions of the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria. It consists of ancient practices as well as new concepts added into the Igbo culture either by cultural evolution or by outside influence. These customs and traditions include the Igbo people's visual art, music and dance forms, as well as their attire, cuisine and language dialects. Because of their various subgroups, the variety of their culture is heightened further.

The Igbo calendar is the traditional calendar system of the Igbo people from present-day Nigeria. The calendar has 13 months in a year ( afo ), 7 weeks in a month ( onwa ), and 4 days of Igbo market days in a week ( izu ) plus an extra day at the end of the year, in the last month. The name of these months was reported by Onwuejeogwu (1981).

Orsu is a local government area (LGA) and tribe in the Imo State of Nigeria. Orsu is also the name of the dialect of this people. They are an Igbo sub-group located west of Orlu, north of Oguta and in the general areas around Oru East, Oru West, Ihiala, Nnewi south and Oguta LGAs. Orsu LGA is made up of several autonomous communities including Ihitenansa, Amaruru, Amazu, Amaebu, Amannachi, Awo-Idemili, Asaa Ubirielem, Eziawa, Umuhu Okabia, Orsu Ihiteukwa, Okwu Ufuruaku, Okwu Amaraihe, and Okwu Etiti.

Igwe Josiah Nnaji Orizu II (1902–1962) was the 19th Obi of Otolo and Igwe of Nnewi kingdom. He took the ofo of Nnewi in 1924 after his father's death. He is a member of the Nnofo Royal lineage and the successor to his father Igwe Orizu I , He was the first Igwe to officially become a Christian, although the traditional rulers of Nnewi are the ofo holders and as such, preservers and upholders of Nnewi culture and traditions.

Awka-Etiti , historically known as Awka-Diedo ; later mentioned as Awka-Nkakwu ( Okankaku ) by colonial authors, is an affluent town comprising seven villages in Idemili South local government area of Anambra state, Nigeria. The seven villages of Awka-Etiti in order of age established are: Nkolofia, Umunocha, Ejighinandu, Iruowelle, Umudunu, Nnaba and Ogunzele.

The ofo is a staff carried by selected Igbo leaders — notably patrilineage priests, kings, onyishi, and some masqueraders — that signifies authority, the right to command, administrative powers, and/or the conferment of leadership and power bestowed by the gods..It is typically six to seven inches long and made of bronze, brass, or wood.

Afiaolu is a traditional festival held annually in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria around August. The Afiaolu festival commences on “Eke” day with what is traditionally described as “Iwaji” and Ikpa Nku, this heralds the availability of new yam as well as thanksgiving to God. The festival includes a variety of entertainments including performance of ceremonial rites by the Igwe (king), cultural dance by girls and masquerade dance.

Chief Pericoma Mezuo Okoye was a Nigerian singer, songwriter and traditionist. His first name 'Pericoma' could alternatively be spelled as 'Pericomo' 'Perry-Coma' and 'Perry-Koma'. He was predominantly known throughout the Igboland for his style of music and strong belief and practice of the traditional religion of the Igbo people, named Odinala.

Neni , is an Igbo speaking town in Southeastern Nigeria.

The Ikeji festival is an annual four-day festival held by the Igbo people of Arondizuogu, in Imo state, Nigeria, between the months of March and April to celebrate the harvest of new yams and the Igbo culture. The inception of the Ikeji festival dates back five centuries and is an Igbo festival which unites all Igbo race across the globe as they return to the south-eastern regions of Nigeria to witness and partake in the festival. The festival is marked with the display of numerous masquerades dancing around the villages, music, and practice of the Igbo traditional religion.

Yam is a staple food in West Africa and other regions classified as a tuber crop and it is an annual or perennial crop. The New Yam festival is celebrated by almost every ethnic group in Nigeria and is observed annually at the end of June.

Ndoro is a town in Oboro, Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria. It is about 16 km southeast from the state capital, Umuahia and is located along the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road.

In Igboland, there are different festivities that are celebrated, but the most influential of all include the masquerade festival and the New Yam Festival.

• 1 2 Yam Festival . Retrieved 11 May 2009. Archived 4 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
• 1 2 Daniels, Ugo. African Loft . 6 November 2007. Iwa ji Ofu (New Yam Festival) In Igboland! . Retrieved 11 May 2009.
• ↑ Omenuwa, Onyema. TheWeek . 22 Nov 2007. Republished by Philip Emeagwali . Igbo Festival: In Honour of New Yam . Retrieved 11 May 2009.
• ↑ "BBC Birmingham - 2005" . Bbc.co.uk. 6 August 2005 . Retrieved 27 September 2012 .
• ↑ "5 different tribes that celebrate New yam festivals in Nigeria" . Pulse Nigeria . 23 March 2023 . Retrieved 9 June 2023 .
• 1 2 3 Daniels, Ugo. African Loft . 6 November 2007. Iwa ji Ofu (New Yam Festival) In Igboland! . Retrieved 11 May 2009.
• ↑ "It's New Yam Festival in Oba, Anambra" . Vanguard News . 27 August 2021 . Retrieved 31 August 2021 .
• 1 2 "The Maiden New Yam Festival (Okuka iri Ji ndi igbo) at Igbo-Ukwu" . nacd.gov.ng . Archived from the original on 5 March 2016 . Retrieved 18 September 2015 .
• ↑ "New Yam Festival: The celebration of thanksgiving" . Pulse Nigeria . 23 August 2021 . Retrieved 31 August 2021 .
• 1 2 3 Omenuwa, Onyema. TheWeek . 22 Nov 2007. Republished by Philip Emeagwali . Igbo Festival: In Honour of New Yam . Retrieved 11 May 2009.
• ↑ Onwutalobi, Anthony-Claret. "New Yam Festival - The Official Nnewi City Portal" . www.nnewi.info . Retrieved 18 September 2015 .
• ↑ "Significance of New Yam Festival in Igbo Society of Nigeria - Igbo Union Finland" . www.igbounionfinland.com . Retrieved 31 August 2021 .
• ↑ "New Yam Festival" . TheFreeDictionary.com . Retrieved 31 August 2021 .
• ↑ Coursey, D. G.; Coursey, Cecilia K. (1971). "The New Yam Festivals of West Africa" . Anthropos . 66 (3/4): 444–484. ISSN   0257-9774 . JSTOR   40457684 .
• ↑ "PROCLAMATION OF OGWU EKPEYE (EPKEYE NEW YAM FESTIVAL 2020)" . Boch News . 9 September 2020 . Retrieved 16 May 2023 .
• Mayowa, Adebayo Ebenezer (4 July 2021). "Festival Ready? 7 Of The Best Nigerian Festivals" . The Guardian Nigeria News . Retrieved 31 July 2021 .
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New Yam Festival (Iri ji) in Igbo Culture, Nigeria

• August 25, 2022

In Igbo land, the New Yam Festival which is called Iri ji, Iwa ji or Ike ji, depending on the dialect is an annual cultural festival by the Igbo people in Nigeria. It is usually celebrated at the end of the rainy season in early August. This article contains all you need to know about the New Yam Festival in Igbo culture.

The New Yam Festival of the Igbo People in Nigeria

The New Yam festival of the Igbo people symbolizes the conclusion of a harvest and the beginning of the next work cycle. The celebration is culturally based, tying individual Igbo communities together as essentially agrarian and dependent on yam.

According to the Igbo cultural heritage, yams are the first crop to be harvested and are the most important crop in the region. The New Yam Festival is therefore a celebration depicting the prominence of yam in the social-cultural life of Igbo people. The evening before the day of the festival, all old yams (from the previous year’s crop) are consumed or discarded. This is because it is believed that the New Year must begin with tasty, fresh yams instead of the old dried-up crops of the previous year. The next day, only dishes of yam are served at the feast, as the festival is symbolic of the abundance of the produce.

Though the style and methods may differ from one community to the next, the essential components that make up the festival remain the same. In some communities, the celebration lasts a whole day, while in many places it may last a week or more. These festivities normally include a variety of entertainments and ceremonies, including the performance of rites by the Igwe (King), or the eldest man, and cultural dances by Igbo men, women, and their children. The festival features Igbo cultural activities in the form of contemporary shows, masquerade dances, and fashion parades.

Also read: Traditional Festivals in Nigeria: Their Importance and What They are all about

The Iri-ji ceremony begins firstly with the yams offered to gods and ancestors first before distributing them to the villagers. The ritual is performed either by the oldest man in the community or by the king or eminent title holder. This man also offers the yams to God, deities, and ancestors by showing gratitude to God for his protection and kindness in leading them from lean periods to the time of bountiful harvest without deaths resulting from hunger. After the prayer of thanksgiving to God, they eat the first yam because It is believed that their position bestows the privilege of being intermediaries between their communities and the gods of the land. The rituals are meant to express the gratitude of the community to the gods for making the harvest possible, and they are widely followed despite more modern changes due to the influence of Christianity in the area. This, therefore, explains the three aspects of the Igbo worldview, that they are pragmatic, religious, and appreciative.

The day is symbolic of enjoyment after the cultivation season, and the plenty is shared with friends and well-wishers. A variety of festivities mark the eating of new yam. Folk dances, masquerades, parades, and parties create an experience that some participants characterize as “art”; the colorful festival is a spectacle of exhibited joy, thanks, and community display.

Also read: Nigerian People and Culture Facts

The New Yam festival is a highly captivating art event. The colorful festival is a visual spectacle of coherence, dance, joy, and feasting, an annual display for community members, to mark the end of the cultivation season, a festival where the people express their gratitude to those that helped them reap a bountiful harvest.

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The New Yam Festival

• in Festivals

The New Yam Festival is an annual festival observed mostly by the people of the Middle belt ,South and East of Nigeria. It is held at the end of the rainy season  which is different times in different communities starting from early August to  October .The festival also known as Iwa Ji ,Iri Ji or Ike ji (meaning eating yam), is observed throughout West Africa , Especially in Nigeria .It symbolises the conclusion of a harvest and the beginning of the next work cycle .In Igbo land , it ties the Igbo communities together .Yam are the first crop to be harvested and it is the most important crop.

The evening before the New yam Festival ,old Yam must be consumed or discarded and on the day of the festival only dishes made out of yam is  served. Palm oil is used to  eat the yam .The oldest Man in the community eats the first yam offering the yam and prayers to the gods, deities and ancestors .

The harvest symbolises the abundance of produce, rituals are performed to express gratitude to the gods of the community for making the harvest possible.

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New Yam Festival, Ebola, An Essay and a Book

September 14, 2014 by Catherine Onyemelukwe

Celebrating New Yam

New Yam Festival in Igbo Ukwu from ThisDay

Igbo Ukwu is the Nigerian town where bronzes dating from the 9th century A.D. were discovered during excavations in the 20th century. It’s a few miles from my husband’s town. Igbo Ukwu’s celebration of the New Yam Festival is chronicled in this story from the Nigerian press.

The author says, “Amongst the Igbos, the ‘Iri ji Ndi Igbo’ (New Yam Festival) depicts a cultural heritage which conveys the prominence of Yam in the socio-cultural life of the people.” Important elements of the festival include breaking kola, giving thanks to the gods and ancestors, dancing, and observing masquerades.

Larger yams, not the ones in a new yam festival..

I remember that the new yams were harvested in August 1968 in my husband’s village of Enugu Nanka. But there was no festival, a year and a half into the Biafran War. People were focused on not eating all of the harvest but keeping enough new yams to have seedlings for the next planting.

It was not a time to share yam or spend time in celebrating.

The Igbo Ukwu celebration was a complete contrast to that time of privation. The biggest concern expressed by the speakers was the possible disappearance of the Igbo language. They encouraged all present to teach their children to speak Igbo.

Professor Ferraro writes about the Ebola virus in the middle paragraph of his Sept. 13 blog. I also read an excellent and frightening NYTimes   op-ed , also referenced by Professor Ferraro, about Ebola by Michael T. Osterholm , the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. He describes the steps that should be taken now and concludes by saying if we don’t contain it now, it could spread as far as our shores.

So far Nigeria has the fewest cases in West Africa, but I think it holds the greatest risk. Many Nigerians travel extensively so could easily carry the virus when they are unaware they have been infected. The public health sector in Nigeria is not strong or well-regarded.

Hospitals were closed earlier this year when health care workers went on strike. There are excellent private doctors and hospitals, but they are expensive. Health insurance is not common. Nigerians who require surgery today often travel to India which provides excellent services more cheaply.

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Brain, Child Essay

As I near publication of my memoir I enjoy more than ever seeing recognition of work by my friends. I first heard Daisy Florin’s delightful essay, Last Call, during my memoir and essay writing class at Westport Writers Workshop. Now her essay has been polished and published in the latest Brain, Child magazine .

She touches themes that many women can identify with – the joy of young children and the regret mingled with happiness as they start school and begin to separate. I believe these feelings may have influenced my daughter’s decision to have her third child at age 46 though she says she had always wanted three children to replicate our family – she succeeded with a daughter between two sons!

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I loved reading this interview with the author NoViolet Bulawayo from Brittle Paper .

NoViolet Bulawayo, photo from The Telegraph

Her debut novel, short-listed for the 2013 Man Booker prize, is a fascinating story.

In my Goodreads  review, I said, “Bulawayo tells the story through the voice of a young girl, first in Zimbabwe and then in the U.S. We see her change as she becomes accustomed to America and we see American customs through her eyes.”

Did you read We Need New Names ?

What other books with an African connection have you read recently?

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Author: Catherine Onyemelukwe

Author, blogger, speaker. Born in New York, grew up in mid west United States, lived in Nigeria for 24 years, back in U.S. since 1986. Advocate for racial justice.

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New Yam Festival: The Most Celebrated Event in Igboland.

Written by David Ugbabe

The New Yam festival (Iri ji) or Onwa Asaa is one of the most celebrated and significant festivals in Igboland. Although there is no specified date to celebrate the event across the whole of Igboland, it is often celebrated around the seventh month (August). It is known by several names including, Iri ji, Onwa Asaa, Iwa Ji or Orurueshi, among others, in various communities across Igbo land.

The festival which is as old as the Igbo culture marks the beginning of the year in Igbo calendar and signifies the end of famine and food shortage each year. The special event attracts indigenes of various communities, including those in the Diaspora, friends and well-wishers who

BUT WHY YAM?

There is no specific date for the celebration of this Igbo festival but most communities hold the festival at the beginning of each harvest season to thank the gods for bountiful harvests, especially yam. Akunne Amuta helped to shed light on the events that led to the celebration of the New Yam festival; in the 17th century when Onitsha crossed over to the Eastern part of the Lord Niger, yam was not in vogue among them. At the time, a nuclear family in Umuasele Village “the Obamkpas” discovered a seed called “Adu” – a slave yam that grows on the surface of the ground produced by a creeping stem plant. The family died of food poisoning shortly after eating the plant. This sent fear across the land.

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The fear that gripped the people as a result of the death of the Umuasele family would later be the reason the dreaded eating the real yam when it was finally found. It took consultations with the oracle with the Umuikem people to enable the people eat yam. The New Yam festival has continued to be celebrated from generation to generation; hence it has become a ritual that the Igbo people commit to so much that no full-fledged or mature man eats new yam in Igbo land without performing this festival as group or individual.

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New Yam Festival in Enugu State

Yam is an important food crop in Enugu State and as a result, it has cultural significance.

The harvesting of new yam is, therefore, celebrated by the people between the months of August and October.

The time for the celebration varies from one community to the other. The New Yam Festival is an occasion to offer special prayers to God for a fertile land and good harvest. It is marked with feasting and merry-making.

Tourism, festivals in Enugu

Enugu Slate is endowed with a lot of tourist resources, facilities and potentials. These exist in natural features such as lakes, caves, hills, falls, springs and cultural festivals as well as such man-made features like hotels, telecommunications and transportation outfits, galleries and monumental or archaeological collections. Some of these potentials are developed, others are yearning for development. Some of the existing tourist events in Enugu include the Mmanwu Festival and the New Yam Festival (Iri-ji).

Enugu is a state in the South Eastern part of Nigeria. The capital city of the state also has the same name: Enugu.

The state shares borders with Abia State to the South, Ebonyi State to the East, Benue State to the Northeast, Kogi State to the northwest and Anambra State to the West.

Though a land-locked State, Enugu, the capital city, is located approximately 2 1/2 driving hours away from Port Harcourt, Calabar and warri, all coastal cities with major shipping ports. Enugu is also located within an hour s drive from Onitsha and 2 hours drive from Aba, both of which are trading centres in Nigeria. The city is also located within 5 driving hours from Abuja and 7 driving hours from lagos, the administrative and commercial headquarters of Nigeria respectively.

Lying partly within the semi-tropical rain forest belt of the south, the State spreads (through a land area of approximately 8727.1km2 ) towards the north with its physical features changing gradually from tropical rain forest to open wood-land and then to the Savannah. Apart from a chain of low hills, running through Abakaliki (Ebonyi state) in the east to Nsukka in the north-west, and then southwards through Enugu and Agwu, the rest of the state is made up of low land separated by numerous streams and rivulets the major ones of which are the Adada River and the Oji River.

The mean temperature in Enugu State in the hottest month of February is about 36.20C (97.160F), while the minimum temperature of about 20.30C (68.540F) is recorded in November. The lowest rainfall of about 0.16cm3 is normal in February, while the highest is about 35.7cm3 in July. Enugu has a good soil and climate, sitting at about 223 meters above sea level, and the soil is well drained.

LGAs in Enugu State

The LGAs (Local Government Areas) in Enugu State, Nigeria are:

• Enugu North
• Enugu South
• Igbo-Eze North
• Igbo-Eze South

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Wow! This is more than a dream come true to tell the world about the unique extravaganza in the entire south-eastern Nigeria in West Africa. Surely, you must have heard of different worldwide celebrations, including the just concluded Diwali festival of the Indians, but trust me, the New Yam Festival is more than your wildest imagination even above the heavens. This indescribable fairy tale is right at your doorstep, dear reader. The stage is yours.

The New yam festival, popularly known as Iri -Ji, is a unique celebration peculiar to the people of the Igbo tribe based in the southeast geopolitical zone of Nigeria.

Iri-Ji is a festival marking the beginning of a new harvest season and ‘Ji ofuru’, new yam- the king of all other farm produce. In ancient times, our forefathers believed that Amadioha, the head of all the gods of the land, guaranteed a bountiful harvest for the Igbos and protected its people from extreme famine and starvation. As a result, the village chief priest set aside a week each year in August—the eighth moon day—to offer to the gods who kept families healthy.

Since many Igbos adopted Christianity in the 1980s, they have made minor adjustments to the rites and rituals they perform today for God Almighty, the supreme entity who dwells in heaven and who created the entire universe, rather than the ancient gods.

Lest I forget, it is a period where Igbos far and near return to their hometowns to have fun with their families, well-wishers, and friends. Not to be forgotten, it is a time when Igbos from far and wide visit their hometowns to celebrate with their loved ones.

Regarding the rigorous observance of local cultures and traditions, five weeks before the start of the event is the time for public education. The town crier announces the festival’s events and daily rudiments as he marches through the village’s streets.

In the same manner, they send information out to the Igbos in the diaspora via electronic mail to aid in adequate fundraising and preparation. During this period, farmers harvest their yams and other crops while the traders thrive to sell the produce of the previous farming season at a cheaper price. Honestly, one serene thing I love about the festival is that it doesn’t affect the everyday routine of villagers.

The new yam festival’s eve is a full day filled to the brim with events. It is possible to hear dishes and spoons clattering and smell the local aroma from a distance. From dawn, women and children clean the homes, fetch water, and paint the muddy floor with Uli, a white river clay. At the stroke of six, all domestic activities come to a close, with the Royal Palace serving as the night’s major attraction.

At the sight of twilight, over 5 cows, 15 goats, 500 hens, and other tasty animals are killed in the village abattoir; taps are singing, pestles thumping as they can and pots begging for mercy at the hands of the industrious palace cooks.

The maidens also help in the preparation of sumptuous yam delicacies such as roasted yam, pounded yam, oil bean gravy, and other meals.

While all these are going on, cars and buses of distant neighbors and friends troop unceasingly into compounds, hotels, and motels of all standards. The first day of this seven-day celebration is not one that anyone would want to miss.

D-day has finally arrived-The Great New Yam festival. The villagers are in a joyous mood of laughter and thanksgiving. Everyone finds their way to the central location, which had been announced beforehand.

At the sound of the flute of the oracle locally known as ‘Oja’, we observe perfect silence because this is a sign that the king with the royal convoy has arrived. The King goes on his knees at the center of the open ground and kneels (everyone follows suit), lifts his head to the heavens, and thanks God for a great new yam harvest and the good of the village.

He then proceeds to taste the new yam. Once that is concluded, the festivities of the week can begin. For the remaining days of the festival, there are side attractions such as a masquerade, mini palm wine joints, light snacks and fun children’s games of sticks and bottles; presentation of chieftaincy titles, and varied gifts to the farmer who harvested the largest yam tubers that year, etc.

Sincerely, I seldom attend Iri-Ji festival because of school, but social media has made everything easy. I could stream live through my phone the happenings of the event each day just from the comfort of my bed and the same applies to many friends of mine who have one reason or the other not to be at this huge celebration. Indeed, the New Yam festival is a big feast for Igbos nationwide, a time to share pains, love, unity, and, of course, an abundance of food.

    Authored By

   Sanduni Jayawardena

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