Hi buddies. When it comes to culture, the African people would be said to be in the center of it all. We have traditions that coin into the culture in nearly everything we do. Many thanks to the #crossculture community in conjunctionn with #smi-le and @starstrings01, @selfhelp4trolls for bringing up such an amazing contest. And a huge thanks to @whatamidoing. As a beneficiary of the last contest, it would be very nice to take part in this nonetheless to bring to your reading pleasure the wealthy Nigerian culture.
The New Yam Festival
This is a very famous cultural practice among the Igbo people who dwell in the eastern part of the country. It is called Iri-Ji.
Yam Tuber is a sacred farm product along with the people and before you eat a new yam, as an Igbo man, it must have been after the festival.
The very first-time yam will be eaten in the year, it is done in a very special kind of way. Different Igbo societies set aside different dates for the festival.
On the D-day, yam is prepared with local sauce. It could be roasted, boiled, or pounded.
For me, I love roasted yams. With the local sauce, that's the very memorable part of the whole festival.
This celebration goes viral as Igbo people all over the world remember home and celebrate wherever they are.
This festival is celebrated in August when the dry season sets in. Few days before the festival, all the old yam are taken out of town, to usher in the newly harvested ones. Yam is acknowledged as the king of all crops among the Igbo people.
At the ceremonies, the yam is offered to ancestors or deities by the oldest man or a prominent man. Committing the new moon, or year for a productive life for all some and daughter of Igbo descent.
Traditional dances and masquerade would also be on display on the said day of the occasion. People from all works of life come to the east to celebrate the new yam festival with the people. In some years, tourists from Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa also come to witness the ceremonies.
Nigeria Independence Day
Nigeria gained independence from the British Colonialists on October 1st, 1960. So, every year, on October 1st, there is a national holiday to celebrate freedom and the right to self-actualization and determination. It is usually a colorful day with different displays of art, dance, and other presentation.
On October 1st, 2021; Nigeria would be celebrating sixty-one years of freedom. During the celebration, Nigerians usually measure the development trends to value how much the government has done.
However, people who have studied the events of Nigeria's independence have come to posit that the country was not truly independent in 1960. This is because the sovereignty of Nigeria as a nation was still under the leadership of the Queen of England.
During the period, the highest court in Nigeria was located in Buckingham Palace, it was called the Privy Council. Court cases were handled in Nigeria though, the highest court which was meant to be in the country was however located in Britain. Their argument now is that a sovereign country does not share authority with another state.
As a result, Nigeria became a republic in October 1st, 1963.
This was done such that the new republican constitution was drafted by Nigerians and in Nigeria. The Constitution stipulated that the highest court in Nigeria will be the Supreme Court which will hear constitutional matters.
All images were edited and designed @canva.com
I invite @merit.ahama, @cool08, @projectmamabg @maryjacy to participate in this contest. Read up the rules of the announcement post