Every society has one or numerous traditions, rituals or culture which are dear to them. These traditions or rituals are observed at some given months or seasons as the case may be.
For me, I come from the Eastern part of Nigeria where we have several traditions or rituals which are performed at specific times of the year. Among all these rituals or traditions which we celebrate the one that stands out for me is the "Iri Ji" festival or the New Yam festival.
Among the people of the Eastern part of Nigeria yam is seen and valued as the king of all crops. It is basically cultivated by men while the women farm cocoyams and other lesser crops.
A man's wealth is usually measured by the number of yam farms he has cultivated and the size of his yam barn. In the olden times, would-be son inlaws and queried about the size of his barn so as to know how capable he'll be in taking care of the man's daughter when he finally marries her. If the size of your yarn barn is small the chances of getting a good wife will be slim.
Like I said yam is regarded as the king of all crops. Before yam can be harvested and eaten in large scale our people usually celebrate it...the new yam festival. In such festival which is usually done around August/September of every year when yams are mature for harvest. And before this celebration, nobody is expected to harvest and eat yam in the community. It is seen as a taboo and if anyone is caught such a person will be fined heavily and certain rituals performed to appease the gods of the land.
A day is set out for the occasion and men usually harvest some yams and cook for their guests who may come from far and near.
Later in the evening of the celebration everyone will converge at the village square or city centre where yams garnished and seasoned with meat, and palm wine to gulp it down, will be served.
It is usually a fun day for the locals with various age grade showcasing their masquerades to add colour to the day. To crown it all, notable members of the community and seasoned yam farmers will be recognized and titles given to them as a mark.of honour.
The community will then look forward to next year's new yam festival.
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