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.
Yoruba
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.
Hausa
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.
Take away
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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