How is the new yam festival celebrated 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 others or not.
Which place the yam festival is celebrated?
Each year on August 15, Benin celebrates the Yam Festival. The event marks the harvest period and draws thousands of Beninois and tourists to Savalou, the city of the Gbaguidi royal family. Savalou is widely known as the cultural and geographic center of yam cultivation.
Which month is the Yam Festival celebrated?
September
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.
Why do the Igbos celebrate New Yam Festival?
The New Yam Festival, in the Ogidi community, is an important way of marking the beginning and end of the farming season. It is a celebration of life, accomplishments in the community, culture and well-being.
Why was the Feast of the yam important?
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.
Who celebrates the Yam Festival?
Asogli Te Za, popularly known as Asogli Yam Festival is essentially a harvest festival celebrated by the Asogli State (Ho) and its surrounding areas such as Sokode, Abutia Klefe and Akrofu. The festival is celebrated annually by the Chiefs (Togbewo, Mamawo) and the people of Asogli State in the Volta Region of Ghana.
How is New Yam Festival celebrated Nigeria?
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.
Why are yams so important in Igbo culture?
After the prayer of thanksgiving to their god, they eat the first yam because It is believed that their position bestows the privilege of being intermediaries between their communities and the gods of the land.
What happens during the New Yam festival?
Typically, New Yam Festival provides a heritage of dances, feasting, renewal of kinship alliances, as well as marks the end of one agricultural season with a harvest to express gratitude and thanksgiving to the society, gods, friends and relations.
How do they celebrate yam festival?
A variety of festivities mark the eating of new yam. Folk dances, masquerades, parades, and parties create an experience that some participants characterize as “art”; the colorful festival is a spectacle of exhibited joy, thanks, and community display.
What story is always told at the New Yam festival?
The story that is always told at the New Yam Festival is the story of a wealthy man who had so much foo-foo at his feast that the dinner guests couldn’t see anyone at the other side of the table until the food was eaten. This is an example of a legend because it is an exaggeration and has some truth to it.
What is the symbol of New Yam Festival in Nigeria?
Celebrated by almost every ethnic group in Nigeria, the New Yam Festival is observed annually at the end of June. It is considered taboo to eat the new yam before this festival. The high priest sacrifices a goat and pours its blood over a symbol representing the god of the harvest.