Due to my sickness and absence from writing for a while, I have not been able to update you all on my frequent writing about the eccentric attributes of my country and what makes us special as Nigerians. In this article, we will be looking at the eccentricities of the Nigerian New Yam Festival. First off, you need to know that food is never just food, something you use to fill up your belly, when it comes to the Nigerian people. It is also deeply rooted in our tradition.
Several tribes in Nigeria will bring you to the realization that food is not all about the item that goes into your belly, as I mentioned earlier, but it goes way beyond that. It also serves as the people's way of expressing culture, gratitude, anda welcoming spirit. If you are quite conversant with my blog post, I spoke about the presence of kolanut being offered to the guest as a sign of welcoming you into their household. It goes without saying that if you are not offered something in a Nigerian household, then that is a sign that you are not welcome in that home. The offering of kolanut to guests is a specialty among the Igbo people,e and also the yam festival.
The Yam festival is not only centered on the breaking of yam at the dining table with your family; rather, it symbolizes the presence of success after a long period of cultivation. There is a time for planting, and there is a time to harvest. The harvesting period falls under where the New Yam Festival among the Igbo people becomes a celebratory event. People in the community gather; there is a whole lot of activities packed in, from dancing to playing cultural music. Among the Igbo people of Nigeria, communities still exist within the tribe. There are Abia Igbo, Imo Igbo, Delta Igbo, and other Igbo people from different states. Each Igbo community may have a different name used to refer to the New Yam festival; some may be Iri Ji* or Iwa Ji, but the meaning still remains the same, which is the breaking of the new yam.
A secondary beauty of such an event is that it gives family members scattered around the world a reason to return home: the New Yam festival. They get to see their relatives who have been in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and different parts of the world. An opportunity for family bonding. During the event of the festival, the elders in the community become prominent at the center of the attention as they bring the yam, give prayers as a form of appreciation for the farmer's hardwork and also the cooperation of nature in bringing such fruitful harvest.
The yam is prepared in many different ways, roasted, boiled, and eaten by the people until they are satisfied. A strong significance of such a festival is how it gives firsthand experience of what culture is all about, especially to the people who live in urban areas, and they do not get to see such activities. Children have the chance to ask certain cultural questions about their background, their past, or anything else while they mingle with their extended relatives. It is always more than the yam, for it is a way of showing the people's way of life.
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