expository essay on new yam festival

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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MBAISE NEW YAM FESTIVAL: A Harvest of Thanksgiving – An Expository Analysis by Kennedy Onyegbado –

The name “Mbaise” was derived from five cities, which, comprises of Agbaja, Ahiara, Ekwerazu, Ezinihitte and Oke Uvuru. The area of Mbaise (the three Local Government Areas) is about 404 km²: Aboh Mbaise (185 km²), Ahiazu Mbaise (111 km²), Ezinihitte Mbaise (108 km²). The Mbaise Slogan is Seat of Sages . The region spans an area of about 160 square miles with a population of more than one million.

The quiddity of Mbaise is that this homogenous group of more than 1000 persons per square kilometer is the most densely populated area in West Africa. The population of Mbaise as at 2006 was estimated to be 611,204 people (Agulanna, E. C. “The Mbaiseness of Mbaise” (2nded), Owerri: Career Publishers, 2008.)

Iri Ji Mbaise ; its origin and evolution were handed to us by oral tradition. There is no living person who can attest to the exact date when this festival started. However, the celebration is fixed on the 15 th of August of every year, coinciding with the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary according to the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar.

Originally, it was referred to as ‘mgbawara onye aka oku’; meaning, I did not stop anybody from working hard. Reason being that when people go to farm then, the lazy ones will not participate. Thus, they found this ceremony as a reward for hard work and a way of encouraging lazy people to farm.

Besides, farming accounted for about 90% of source of income in Mbaise land then, and the number of yam ban one has suggests how rich a person is. This could be the sole reason why our ancestors had to marry many wives so as to help in cultivating more crops.

• HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF MBAISE

Legends have it that the cradle of creation took place in Ezinihitte Mbaise at ‘Ihu Chineke Orie Ukwu’; a boundary between Oboama and Umunama with the birth of five clans: Agbaja (Nguru, Okwuato, Enyiogugu, Obiangwu, and Umuohiagu), Ahiara, Ekwerazu, Ezinihitte and Oke Ovoro; thus the name ‘Mbaise’ came into being as a federated unit of these five clans in June, 1941 when Mr. Jamike Iwunna from Amaohuru Nguru gave the name after putting together the five clans.

Later, Obiangwu and Umuohiagu which were constituent parts of Agbaja pulled out in 1957 and joined Ngor Okpala. Thus, administratively Mbaise is currently reduced to three local governments, namely Ahiazu (result of a merger of Ahiara and Ekwerazu), Aboh-Mbaise (carving out a part of Ezinihitte West and added to Agbaja and Oke Ovoro), and Ezinihitte in which there are about 81 Autonomous Communities.

Another version of history also has it that the present people of Mbaise where part of Ngwa people, now in Abia State, who were said to be on a journey from “Agbaja” in Owerri. Getting to the bank of Imo River, some of them decided to rest and roast their yams to eat before continuing while some hurriedly crossed the river.

Having lost contact with part of the group, the present Mbaise people decided to settle just before the Imo River. This could explain why Ngwa people today where given the name “Ngwa Ngwa” meaning hurry hurry, later shortened to “Ngwa” and Mbaise people where given the name “Ohuhu” meaning roasting, which people still call us today. These two versions of origin of Mbaise are both believed depending on the school of thought one belongs to.

• EVOLUTION OF IRI JI FESTIVAL IN MBAISE

Before the advent of Christianity, early inhabitants of the Mbaise, believed in mini gods and one supreme God; the Almighty and Creator of all things. Their beliefs were said to stem from the fact that there must be a reason for every creation and thus the belief in higher beings which cannot be fathomed by human mind held sway.

For instance, the cultivation and planting of farm crops between January to the end of May resulted in shortage of food. Families fed on little available food and prayed to God for intervention in their hunger predicament. When July comes and one would enter the farm and find edible tubers, it would call for celebration. More mysterious would be the fact that when you cut and leave the head of the yam in the ground, it would bear more tubers in the coming months. This was figured out to be the work of a higher being sent by God to intervene in their hunger situation, Ahiajoku.

When this happens, the fathers in each household in the villages and towns would be very happy and thankful to God for having survived the famine. To them, this wonder of nature calls for celebration hence a day was set aside for the celebration named Iriji-Ohuo -New yam Festival.

Again, each household revered Ahiajoku such that they built shrines in each home stead for offering goat, yam, sheep and drinks to it in gratitude. Ahiajoku is the acclaimed god of farm crops especially yam. During the Iriji Ohuo celebration, prayers and libation would flow in praise and thanksgiving to god of yam and to God Almighty whom the Mbaise people called Chukwu Abiami or Eke kere Uwa.

However, with time, Christians and people realized that the one God that created man also created every other thing in the Universe and to Him alone belongs all Honor, Praise, Worship and Adoration, and the Ahiajoku ceremony faded away and was replaced with Christian Festival of the First Fruit(EX 23;16).

With the advent of Christianity and the Bible, Mbaise nation was believed to be the home of the Most High God, the people believed that this was also a way to fulfill Gods law to his people of Israel to celebrate three Festivals a year to Him. Celebrate the harvest Festival when you begin to harvest your crops. (Exo 23; 16, Deu 16; 9, Lev 23, 15-21, 2nd Chro 8, 12-13. Thus the festival of the new yam is a thanksgiving celebration.

Undoubtedly, there are farmers in every village and town who grow and harvest more yams than others. These great farmers were given the prestigious title of EZEJI. They are acclaimed as having the largest farms and could feed hundreds of people without running out of supply. Though the Ezeji title holders regard Iriji as their particular ceremony, the event is for every member of the Mbaise.

The Ezeji cultivates the yams, owns the yams, harvest the yams and gives them to people to eat. It is also the role of the Ezeji to roast and cook yams enough to feed the masses that attend the IriJi ceremony. They are also great and powerful landowners, and as title holders, they are expected to be outstanding personalities in the Community. Ezeji people play important roles in the settlement of land disputes. They pray and bless the new yam, taste it and give it to others to eat.

Meanwhile, in the recent times, yam which is regarded as the head of farm crops have come to symbolize among other things; accomplishments, jobs, productivity in every field of lives endeavor, overcoming adversity, anniversaries, etc.

On the 15th of August every year, Mbaise people all over the world must celebrate this thanksgiving event individually or collectively with friends and well wishers. They come together to celebrate their achievements and accomplishments over the year with special thanksgiving to God.

As a ceremony, the Iri Ji annual event attracts people from all over the world. It has attracted Chief Executives, top Government Officials, Governors and Vice Presidents over the years. It has become a symbol of unity and home coming for Mbaise sons and daughters which appreciates economic, social and tourism activities within this period.

The real Mbaise man or woman is hospitable and kind. He is strong and can withstand hardship. He plays host to unknown visitors. You will find him in almost and all parts of the world including areas with harsh climatic conditions and difficult terrain. He hates cheating and will always stand out bold to claim his right. There is a famous axiom that the fifth person in any Igbo gathering is an Mbaise person or that person knows an Mbaise person as a friend or in-law.

If it is a truism then that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of cultures as there are beliefs. Culture is people’s total way of life; “IRI JI MBAISE” is our cultural heritage handed down from generation to generation. Long Live Mbaise the seat of sages! Long Live our Cultural Heritage.

• KENNEDY ONYEGBADO is a Publicist, and Heads Ken-Gbados concepts Ltd. ([email protected], +2347064715591)

One thought on “ MBAISE NEW YAM FESTIVAL: A Harvest of Thanksgiving – An Expository Analysis by Kennedy Onyegbado – ”

Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point. You obviously know what youre talking about, why throw away your intelligence on just posting videos to your weblog when you could be giving us something informative to read?

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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."

• New Yam Festival
• Igbo Culture
• South East Nigeria
• African Cultures

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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 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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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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New Yam Festival: Meaning, history and how major tribes celebrate it in Nigeria

According to Chinua Achebe , in his most revered novel,  Things Fall Apart,  yam is “the king of all crops.” Therefore, the New Yam Festival is a special event, especially among the Igbo of South-East Nigeria. The event is always marked with pomp and pageantry. If you’re a fan of culture and tradition, then it’s advisable to attend any New Yam Festival, especially in the southeast.

The culture of yam cultivation and preservation is an age-long attribute of the Igbos and Africans in general. This culture has been handed down to this generation which will carry it forward to the next. Hence, if you want to know more about the New Yam Festival, relax, grab some popcorn with a chilled bottle of soft drink and enjoy the gist.

What is New Yam Festival?

The New Yam Festival is an annual cultural festival held at the end of the rainy season , usually in early August. It is a festival associated with West African countries, particularly Nigeria and Ghana, which symbolizes the conclusion of a harvest and the beginning of the next work cycle.

The New Yam Festival is done at the community level first before individuals celebrate with their families, with the new yam being the staple food throughout the celebration.

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History of New Yam Festival

The history of the New Yam Festival dates back to before the colonial era, especially in Igbo communities. An old Igbo myth tells the story of a man named Igbo (from whom the tribe takes its name) who the gods asked to sacrifice his son, Ahiajioku, and daughter, Ada, to save the rest of his children from a severe famine. Igbo complied, killing his children and cutting their flesh into several pieces to be buried in different mounds.

A few days later, yams grew from Ahiajioku’s flesh while cocoyams grew from Ada. As a result, Igbo and his surviving children were able to cope with the famine by eating yams and cocoyams that sprouted from Ahiajioku’s and Ada’s flesh. The spirit of Ahiajioku became the god of yam.

Therefore, every year, the Igbo people celebrate the New Yam Festival to depict the prominence of yam in their social-cultural life. Before this day, all old yams are eaten, and the rest are discarded to make way for the new yams.

Although celebration differs from community to community, the major thing is that the new yams are first offered to the gods and ancestors to show gratitude for their protection and kindness in leading the people from lean periods to the time of bountiful harvest without deaths due to hunger. The ritual is performed by the oldest man in the community, the high priest or the king. After that, he eats the new yam first, as he is believed to be the link between the gods and the people.

After that, celebrations begin in full swing as individuals and families are allowed to eat new yams, which are the only staple food of the day. The yams are cooked with palm oil, water, chicken, fish, and any other assorted animals and ingredients that anyone can afford. In most Igbo families, wives and children can start eating new yams without waiting for their fathers to join them, as it is taboo to eat new yams before celebrating the ancestors first.

When is New Yam Festival celebrated?

The New Yam Festival is usually held at the end of the rainy season between early August to October every year, especially among the Igbos. So if you’re looking forward to participating in this year’s festival, it will most likely happen anytime within the aforementioned months.

How major tribes in Nigeria celebrate New Yam Festival

There are three major tribes in Nigeria – Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba. These tribes have their own unique way of celebrating the New Yam Festival.

Igbo New Yam Festival

When you search through Google, it is clear that the New Yam Festival is mostly associated with the Igbos. The people of the region do not play with the festival. Igbos called the festival   Iwa ji, Iri ji or Ike ji  and it is the most celebrated event after Christmas.

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Yam is sacred among the Igbo people and it is taboo to eat new yams before the festival. At the beginning of the festival, the king or priest or the most prominent man in the community must perform a thanksgiving ritual to the gods and ancestors to thank them for a bountiful year and pray for a new bountiful year. After that, he eats the yam, thus declaring the festivities open.

Individuals and families can now go ahead and celebrate by eating the new yam made with assorted dishes. There is eating, drinking, and catching up with loved ones. Children can go visiting their extended families and friends. Some families and town associations will seize the opportunity to organise meetings for various projects.

In some towns like Abiriba, in Abia State, the New Yam Festival is also a period for young maidens who are ripe for marriage to “catch” their prospective grooms by displaying their beautifully adorned bodies during dance performances. Young men usually look forward to these performances because it is an opportunity for them to select their brides.

Eje  is the name of the New Yam Festival celebrated by the Yorubas of South-West Nigeria. The festival is usually celebrated for two days. The festival is also called Odun Ijesu by Ikere people in Ekiti State. It is celebrated to thank orisa for the fertility of the land and for crowning their efforts in the previous planting season.

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The festival is almost similar to that of the Igbo’s  Iwa ji.  However, a major highlight of the festival is the divination rite that determines the destiny of the community and the likelihood of an abundant harvest. Here, one of the recently harvested yams is divided into two and thrown into the air. If one part falls facing up and other falls facing down, it is considered a promising sign. But if both parts fall facing downward, then it is a bad omen for the community’s next harvest.

According to the Yoruba myth, a deity called Oreluere  was one of the 401 deities sent by God ( Olodumare ) to establish the world.  Oreluere  planted the first yam before Oduduwa supported him to make it a success.

The Hausas in northern Nigeria are not known for celebrating the New Yam Festival. But they do have their own festival called Durbar festival which is annually celebrated to culminate Muslim festivals, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Yam is an excellent source of fibre, high in potassium and manganese which is important for supporting bone health, growth, metabolism, and heart function. It is also a rich source of other micronutrients such as copper and Vitamin C. In Nigeria, yam plays more of a cultural and religious role than health. It is a sacred food, particularly among the Igbos and Yorubas in the south. This is why it is treated with respect during the New Yam Festival despite modern changes brought by Christianity.

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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 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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Tourism Potential of Onicha Igboeze Community New Yam Festival, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

The study was carried out to assess tourism potential of Onicha Igboeze community New Yam Festival. Six (6) villages, 12 key informants and 60 ordinary residents were selected for the study through multi-stage stratified random sampling technique. Primary data were collected through the use of semi-structured questionnaire, interview schedules and Focus Group Discussions. Secondary information was sourced from historic records and documentaries on the subject matter. Data were analyzed using mean scores from 4-point Likert-Type scale and Explanatory Factor Analysis. Historical and other descriptive information were presented in documentary form. Results showed that the interplay of the rural ambience of Onitcha Igboeze community, the recreational content and structure of her New Yam Festival, and the community's positive socio-cultural values provide adequate response to recreational needs of a modern urbanized society. It was recommended that community leadership in conjunction...

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New Yam Festival

Edaki timothy tells us about his festive season.

The Kalahari Review

Kalahari Review

I almost believe the words of my friend who said that at the end of writing this essay, I would find that I have touched a cord, deep and tight, hence my mail and social media accounts would be bursting with messages from the Igbos- those of the Eastern part of Nigeria. Why? I asked. According to him, it is believed by the Igbos that none can effectively tell their story.

Not to be deterred or put off by the musings of a single voice, I decided to pen down this tale of my experience during the famous Igbo New Yam Festival. If memory serves me right, I first had a glimpse of what the New Yam Festival looks like during my reading of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and I owe a great deal of my writing to that little book. A story is a lone voice screaming in the darkness, a single ray of light fighting against bleakness, a story means more than it says and says more than it means and this was highly exemplified in Chinua Achebe’s novel. I promised myself when I learnt of Achebe’s death to attend one of the New Yam Festival to see for myself the events with the eyes of this great African writer.

I had almost forgotten about my promise but during my second year in the University, one of my term paper was to write about the New Yam Festival. Easily, I could have combed the Internet for points but I felt that wouldn’t suffice. Moreover I woke up at night, dreaming of Achebe’s face. I felt he wanted to tell me something, wanted to gift me an offering in a story, wanted me to learn something quintessential which would aid my writing. I felt there was a story lurking somewhere in those Anthill of the Savannah and so in conversation and agreement with my roommate who luckily was Igbo, we set out. Luckily again, the month, August was the period of the Festival.

As we sped past in a coaster bus bound for Anambra state, I prepared myself to document this beautiful event. With the wind slapping my face and my headset held firmly by my head and placed in my ears offering beautiful music, I drifted into a nice sleep. I wanted to get as much rest knowing fully well that the next day which was the festival would be hectic and tiring.

I woke up to my roommate turned travel partner nudging that we had arrived. We found our way to his grandparents house, a dingy room was given us for the night with light being provided by the wicker of a kerosene lamp. The next day, with the sun rising and shimmering in the sky, a orange ball of glory, this roommate and I found our way to the village square. Already, there was a sea of people gathered there. My roommate and I looked out of place with our T-shirt and jean trouser against the throng of people clad in their traditional attire.

Finding a vantage point from where we could view the activities of the event without any interruption, we settled for a high-rise building and quickly scrambled up the stairs. The event began with the stentorian voice of the priest reverberating the large square.

Meanwhile, the importance of yam to the Igbo folks cannot be understated. It is seen as the chief of all crops. Hence, the celebration is one that shows the kingly state of yam in the social and cultural life of the people. According to my friend’s grandparents, our hosts, before our arrival, old yams which still remained had been thrown away, pestles and mortars thoroughly cleaned as it is believed that old yams and dirty utensils could serve as hindrance to the blessing of Ani, the Earth goddess responsible for prosperous yields.

Backing up a bit, the priest began a prayer to the deities, thanking them for their love, their protection, their gift of good health. His gratitude extended to the bountiful harvest. After a seemingly long prayer which was in the Igbo dialect, he took a piece of the yam and ate. Again, I learnt that his position as the intermediary between the gods and the people provides him this privilege. I also garnered that no food is eaten until the prayers have been offered and the first bite taken by the priest. (Does this mean, contrary to opinions that the British never totally wiped out traditional worship from Africa, specifically Nigeria?)

From here, a plethora of activities added spice to the festivity, including the masquerade dance, folk dance, parade, poetry readings amongst others.

The New Yam Festival is a time to let go of old hurts, to smile, to give and be happy, to bask in joy and be grateful to the gods. It is a time of colorful art and a time to be merry.

Two days after stuffing my stomach with a heavy deal of yam dishes and enjoying the festivity, my roommate and I returned to the ancient city of Benin to resume schooling activities. As I ventured into dreamland later that evening I knew I had fulfilled my promise and that for me was exhilarating.

P. S- Did I mention that I got an A in the term paper?

Edaki Timothy is a Nigerian undergraduate Media student in the same country. He alternates his time between reading, writing and listening to Burna Boy and Brymo. He is an addict of beans and fried potatoes. You can follow him on Twitter @EdakiTimothy.

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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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Commentary: 2021 Isuofia New Yam Festival

New Yam Festival is the most important festival amongst Ndi Igbo society. The festival is so important that Chinua Achebe, in his Things Fall Apart, analyzed a New Yam Festival in which a host provided a mountain of pounded yam to his guests and not until the following day that guests at one end of the pounded yam mountain recognized that other people were eating from the same food, after it was leveled by them all. That was when the guests started greeting their family members on the other side of the dish for the first time.

This explanation by Chinua Achebe aptly shows the significance of the celebration of new yam festival among Ndi Igbo wherever they may live, even outside Igbo land.

The new yam festival in Igbo land is always marked with pomp and pageantry. The occasion of Iwa Ji, Iri Ji Ohuru or new yam festival is a cultural feast with its deep significance. Every community has its own days for this celebration. In some communities, Iwa Ji is a public function. Normally, the harvesting of the new yam is followed by thanksgiving.

Today, Igbo people in urban centres and in foreign lands celebrate new yam with equal amount of curiosity and zeal. Not long ago, the Igbo speaking states gathered at the National Theatre, Lagos and uniquely celebrated the New Yam Festival.

This month’s celebration of the new yam festival at Isuofia, in Aguata LGA will be a festival to be remembered in a lifetime. Isuofia Community will, tomorrow, Saturday, August 14, 2021, honour the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo CFR, with a Chieftaincy title. This is in recognition of the enormous contributions of Professor Soludo to the development of the Community.

According to the President-General of Isuofia Peoples Assembly, Chief Jude Chukwukadibia Okeke, Akaekpuchionwa, the event is a major highlight of the community’s 2021 new yam festival, which will hold at the Isuofia Civic Centre, beginning at 12 noon.

Professor Soludo, no doubt, has positively touched the lives of his community members. His philanthropic gestures are legion. The Former CBN Governor adopted one of the community’s primary schools, Amorji Primary School since 2013 up till date, making it one of the best in Anambra State. He has undertaken all the running costs of the school as well as its infrastructural needs.

Again, Professor Soludo, who holds the Chieftaincy title of Odenigbo Aguata and Odenjiji Aguleri, has tarred some roads in Isuofia, supported businesses of rural dwellers and sponsored some students in various tertiary institutions.

This epoch-making event will, not doubt, make this year’s new yam festival in Isuofia community a memorable one. Guests of Isuofia community will pour out in large numbers to appreciate Professor Soludo, who is also the standard bearer of the All Progressives Grand Alliance in the November 6, 2021, Governorship Election in Anambra state.

This first class recognition of Professor Soludo in the town’s new yam festival will be appreciated by his guests with excitement and applause as Dances and songs, masquerading, gun salute, drumming and sounding of big wooden, among others, will provide a vibrant social ambiance of lineage, kinship, neighbourhood, workplace, school, business and friendship connections.

As it stands now in Isuofia, compounds, pathways, local rivers and streams, including markets and deity sites, have been cleared and kept clean for indigenes and guests to have a feel of the geographical beauty of the community. The carnival mood and graciousness at extending invitations and welcoming every visitor and guest means that there is plenty of food to enjoy.

The President-General of Isuofia Peoples Assembly, Chief Okeke and the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Christopher Muoghalu, Isu the second, a retired colonel, together with the good people of Isuofia invite the public to the event.

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Composition: A Festival in My Village, Vocabulary Development: Prefixes

Back to: ENGLISH LANGUAGE JSS1

Welcome to class! 

In today’s class, we will be talking about vocabulary development, etc. Enjoy the class!

Guided Composition (Narrative)

A festival in my village.

I was born in Ha Nam, a province in the North of Vietnam. I am always proud of my hometown with hard-working and kind farmers. I feel most proud of my village because of the many traditional festivals that take place every year. One of the most important festivals in my village is “Village Festival”. “Village Festival” takes place every two years to remind people in the village of the god of the village who built the village. People often call the god of the village as “Thanh Hoang Lang”. This festival takes place on the full-moon day of February. There are three parts of the” Village Festival”.

The first part of the festival that children are the most eager is lifting the palaqueen and lion dances. On the day of the Village Festival, children often get up early, wearing beautiful clothes. Then they go to the communal house of the village to wait for the palaqueen. About 7 o’clock, all of the people in the village gather on two sides of the road to see the palaqueen pass. It is believed that children who go under the palaqueen on this day will have good health and will study very well. At 8 a.m., the palaqueen starts being raised from the village to the village.

The palaqueen is raised by eight people. Always the old people in the traditional costume go in front of the palaqueen and they both go and spread things like coins, pink candles. My grandma told me that people who pick the pink candles are very lucky. They often put the candles in front of their children’s bed. It is thought that the light of the pink candle will make their children more intelligent and healthier. Therefore they try to get the pink candles. Lion dances are also followed by the palaqueen. The procession lasts for more than an hour.

After the procession, people in the village: the old, the young and children move to the river in the village quickly to see the next part of the Village Festival called “traditional games”. Traditional games are the most interesting part of the Village Festival, so villagers always wait for this activity. There are a lot of traditional games that take place in this part such as boat race, tug of war and wrestling… One of the most interesting games in the Village Festival is the racing boat. There are five teams which present the fives villages.  It is a very proud thing for any village to win the competition.

Therefore, every village chooses the strongest man to join the boat race competition. In this game, competitors sit on an imperial boat, a boat has the form of a dragon decorated with different colours. The captains who stand at the head of the boat order their team to sail the boat quickly. As soon as the sound of the drum starts, all team begin sailing as fast as they can. Along two sides of the river, viewers are shouting for encouragement for their home team. The louder the sound of yelling and shouting of fans is, the more quickly the competitors sail. People who watch at two sides of the river run after the boat to encourage their team.

The team which sails to the finish the most quickly will be the winner of the game. It is a big pride of the village for the team who gets the first prize. Besides the boat race, the traditional games like tug of war, rice- cooking and wrestling are also seen by most people in the village. The activities of the traditional games finish at about 1 p.m in the afternoon.

The last part of Village Festival is celebrated in the communal house yard after the traditional games.

When the traditional games finish, villagers gather in front of the communal house yard to eat a traditional meal and to see which teams get prizes in traditional games. From early in the morning, the women in the village prepare necessary materials to cook the meal. Often women in the village who are good at cooking will be chosen to cook for the Village festival. About noon all the food is shown carefully and spectacularly on the tables in the communal house yard. On Village festival day the communal house becomes more crowded. This is a special occasion for people in the village to meet and talk together about their work as well as the harvest.

Firstly, the results of the traditional games in the morning are announced by the leader of the village. Most people are waiting to hear which teams win the first prize. It is the pride of the village that wins the first prize. The winners in the traditional games last year will award the prize for the winners this year. Then people sit on their seats eating the meal. They both eat and talk happily. After the meal, people gather to hear the women in the village sing folk songs The Village festival lasts until early in the evening.

Despite the impact of the industrialization, the Village Festival is still celebrated as the cultural and traditional beauty of my village. It reminds the young generation of the tradition and originality.

EVALUATION: Form a group five, study the passage carefully and compare it with the village festival of your villages.

INTRODUCTION TO DIPHTHONGS

CONTENT:  /ᶕu/

Diphthongs : The word ‘diphthong’ is from a Greek word, which means double sound. They are also vowels. The difference is that while a pure vowel contains only one sound, a diphthong contains two sounds with a glide from the first vowel.

• /ei/ as found in rain
• /ᶕu/ as found in spoke
• /ai/ as found in high
• /au/ as found in how
• /ᴐi/ as found in oil
• //iᶕ/ as found in hear
• //eᶕ/ as found in spear
• /uᶕ/ as found in tour

EVALUATION: Diphthongs can be divided into two, namely: centring and closing diphthongs. Classify the diphthongs above into these two.

EVALUATION : Read the first part of the passage and then do practice 2

Activities on Future Tense

CLASS ACTIVITY

• In five sentences, use the modal auxiliary verbs ‘shall’ and ‘will’ to indicate futurity
• In five sentences, use the infinitive form to indicate futurity
• In five sentences, use the present progressive form to indicate futurity

EVALUATION: In a group of five, evaluate the sentences of your teammate.

GENERAL EVALUATION: 

• List five instruments used for home remedy/cure
• Give ten examples of diphthongs.

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT: 

• Write an expository essay on your village festival

We hope you enjoyed the class.

Should you have any further question, feel free to ask in the comment section below and trust us to respond as soon as possible.

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2 thoughts on “Composition: A Festival in My Village, Vocabulary Development: Prefixes”

Thank you very much 😊😊😊😊😘😘😍🥰

It was really helpful to me

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