Iwa Ji- The New Yam Festival In Igbo Land
Yams are an excellent source of fibre, high in potassium and manganese, which are important for supporting bone health, growth, metabolism, and heart function. Yam tubers also provide a decent amount of other micronutrients such as copper and vitamin C.
Among the Igbo tribe of Nigeria, West Africa, it is obvious that the most cherished and respected crop is the yam.
While giving credence to the Igbo preference of the yam crop, Chinua Achebe, in his most revered novel, ‘Things Fall Apart’, described yam as the “king of all crops”.
The culture of yam cultivation and preservation is an age-long attribute of the ‘Igbos’ which has successfully travelled from the time of our ancestors down to this day.
The New Yam Festival popularly known as “Orureshi, Iwa ji, Iri ji, Ike ji, or Otute (depending on dialect) is an annual cultural festival by the Igbo people usually held at the end of the rainy season in early August to October every year.
It is one of the traditional and cultural festivities Igbo people do not play with. Without performing this festival as individuals or in groups, no full-fledged or matured man eats new yam in Igbo land.
The festival is done at the community level first. In turn, individuals in their own way and capacity celebrate with members of families and friends, thereby kicking off the eating of new yam in these families that participated in the community ceremony, whether they have money to celebrate with the...
Read Full Story: https://guardian.ng/life/iwa-ji-the-new-yam-festival-in-igbo-land/
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