The New Yam Festival (locally called Iri Ji) is an annual festival observed mainly by the people of the Middle belt and the Eastern part of Nigeria. It is held at the end of the rainy season which happens at different times in different communities beginning from early August to October.
It 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.
The festival symbolises the end of harvest and the beginning of the next farming cycle. It also serves as an opportunity for communities to celebrate together thus fostering a bond and in ancient times served as an opportunity to thank the “gods of good harvest”.
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.
In the farming cycle, the yam is the first crop to be harvested and is considered the king of the crops. While the celebration lasts a whole day in some communities, it usually takes longer in others.
Being an important event in the calendar of the Igbo people all over the world, the festival usually begins with a ceremonial roasting of whole yams by the king or titled elders of the community.
Afterwards, portions of the yams are offered first to ‘the god of farming as gratitude for leading them to bountiful harvests.
The rest are shared and the community can then feel free to begin to eat the new yam because back in the days, the people believed that eating the newly harvested yam before the festival incurs the wrath of the gods.
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.
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