The Feast of the New Yam was held yearly before the harvest. It honored the earth goddess, Ani, and the ancestral spirits of the clan. New yams were offered to these powers. The old yams of the previous year were disposed of.
What happens during the New Yam Festival?
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.
What is the Feast of the New Yam things fall apart?
The Feast of the New Yam was held every year before the harvest began, to honour the earth goddess and the ancestral spirits of the clan. New yams could not be eaten until some had first been offered to these powers.
What happens on the second day of the Feast of the new yams?
On the second day of the festival, everyone gathers at the village playing field to watch the wrestling contest between men of the village and men of a neighboring village.
How do you do the yam festival?
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.
Why is the Yam Festival celebrated?
Asogli Yam Festival is an annual festival celebrated by the people of Asogli in the Ho Municipality located in the Volta Region of Ghana. It is celebrated in September annually to celebrate the cultivation of yam that was started by a hunter who found the tuber in the forest during his hunting expedition.
What is the symbol of New Yam Festival in Nigeria?
The Iri ji festival (literally “new-yam eating”) is practiced throughout West Africa (especially in Nigeria and Ghana) and other African countries and beyond, symbolizing the conclusion of a harvest and the beginning of the next work cycle.
What did Okonkwo do during the yam Festival?
Okonkwo does not even enjoy the leisurely ceremonial feast as others do. His impatience with the festivities is so great that he erupts. He falsely accuses one of his wives, beats her, and then makes an apparent attempt to shoot her.
What ceremony opened the feast of the New Yam?
The feast of the new yam is the most important feast of the Igbo world. It is solemnized after the cleansing ceremonies.
What are the two chief foods in the feast of New Yam?
Yam foo-foo and vegetable soup was the chief food in the celebration. So much of it was cooked that, no matter how heavily the family ate or how many friends and relatives they invited from neighbouring villages, there was always a large amount of food left over at the end of the day.
What unacceptable thing did Okonkwo do just before the Feast of the New Yam?
Q. What unacceptable thing did Okonkwo do just before the Feast of the New Yam? He got drunk in public. He beat his second wife, Ekwefi, then fired his gun at her.
Why does Okonkwo not like the Feast of the New Yam?
He does not particularly like feasts, because the idleness that they involve makes him feel emasculated. Okonkwo’s frustration at this idleness causes him to act violently, breaking the spirit of the celebration.
How are the children of the village prepared for the Feast of New Yam?
How are the children of the village prepared for the Feast of the New Yam? The children of the village prepare by shaved heads. What drives Okonkwo into rage on the first day of the festival, leafing him to beat his 2nd wife , Ekwefi and almost kill her with a gun?
What do yams represent in the Igbo culture?
What do yams symbolize in the Igbo society? Yams are a very important crop and food source, so they symbolize the sustainability of life. They also symbolize masculinity, since they are considered the ”king of crops” and only men are allowed to grow them.
What is the significance of the yam in things fall apart?
Seen as a masculine crop, the yams are an indication of the patriarchal society and separation between the genders. It creates a village where women are dependent on the yam farming men to provide for them. Second, yams symbolise sustenance and a way of life.
How is yam festival celebrated in Ghana?
Traditions. The first offering of the crop is made to the ancestral gods by the chief priest of the Ashanti; the religious rite includes taking the yams on the second day of the festival in a procession to the ancestral ground. Music and dance are part of the festivities on all the five days.
What is the most important festival in Nigeria?
Standing out as arguably the most popular festival in Nigeria, the Eyo festival is celebrated in Lagos, Nigeria, by the indigenes, who are also known as Isale Eko. It is usually celebrated in the month of May, and features a colourful traditional masquerade display and various manifestations of the local dance arts.
What month is the New Yam Festival celebrated?
The New Yam Festival popular known as Iwa ji, Iri ji or Ike ji is an annual cultural festival by the Igbo people held at the end of the rainy season in August and September.
Are yams celebrated in African ceremonies?
The Yam Festival is celebrated by members of ethnic groups like the Mahi, Nagot (Yoruba), Bariba, Dendi, and others, for whom yam is a staple crop and a marker of identity. Unlike cassava, maize, or rice, yam is a native product of these regions and is thus deeply rooted in the culture of their populations.
Who is the father of Igbo?
Eri
It is believed that the Igbo people descended from Eri, a divine figure who according to folklore, was sent from heaven to begin civilization. Eri was the son of Gad and Gad was one of the sons of Jacob from his concubine, as mentioned in the Bible.
How do you write a festival essay?
Festivals are larger than life celebrations of various things. They occur at regular intervals and helping in breaking the monotony of life. Furthermore, they give you the chance to celebrate the little and big things in life. Festivals are the carriers of peace and joy in the communities.