Several festivals are held in my country and are unique only to our people. To be honest, I'm not a fan of festivals and I can't tell you what I hate or love about it. But I will be sharing one which is celebrated by Igbos.
According to Igbo tradition, yams are among the first set of crops to be planted at the beginning of the planting season in between April and August. Yam festival is an annual culture festival by the Igbo people that is held at the end of the rainy season in early August. It is a celebration that explores the prominence (importance) of yam in the social-cultural life of the Igbo people.
During the process,
... all old yams (from the previous crops) must be consumed or discarded on the Eve of the new yam festival. The festival normally includes a variety of entertainment like performances of rites by the Igwe(king) or the eldest man in the community, cultural dances by Igbo men, women, and their children, masquerade dances, fashion parades, etc. Then the next day only dishes of yam are served at the feast, as the festival is a symbol of the abundance of the produce, the festival can last for like a week or more in some communities...
Did you know
that Yam is a great source of fiber, minerals, and vitamins? Yam has a lot of wonderful benefits and when prepared well, it always hits the right spot. Yam can be eaten as a swallow with any soup of your choice. Have you tried preparing egg sauce and trying it out with boiled yam?
Or have you tried yam porridge?
….there are lots of wonderful dishes one can prepare using yam and it is always very satisfying.
Yeah, speaking of "satisfaction", having pounded yam with any soup of my choice is one type of food that is always satisfying, however, I've been wondering if I'm the only one who experiences this. After eating my pounded yam, a few minutes later, I become very hungry again like I hadn't had anything to eat all day.
Thinking about it now, I feel the reason could be because yam digests fast in the body.
still on the new yam festival
…which is the reason for this topic. Just like every other type of celebration, the traditional ruler of the land usually opens the ceremony with prayers of Thanksgiving to nature for providing them with good yams.
One of the reasons why this new yam festival is celebrated is to honor the earth goddess for a good harvest. Another thing this new yam festival signifies in the community is the beginning and end of a farming season and it is always seen as a great achievement in the community.
What I hate and why.
As much as I haven't attended one before, from my findings, and in my perspective, I feel that this kind of festival isn't one a Christian(believer) should care to attend because of the fetish things that are done. Some rituals are done that are known as the tradition of the land. We all know that these are things our forefathers have been doing before Christianity and the knowledge about the death of Jesus Christ and the redemption of man was shared with us.
What I love about the festival.
I love this festival because of the joy of achievement that comes with it. No farmer would be happy to plant crops and have nothing to show it.
I also love this festival because it creates a bond between the people of the community.
That's all I can share with you all on this topic, thanks for taking the time to read.
All images which aren't sourced are screenshots from a video.
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