June's New Yam Festival (#COVID-19)

The new yam festival is very a very symbolic activity in Nigeria and it's always celebrated by different tribes starting from the end of June till October depending on the tribes. One according to the tradition is forbidden from eating newly harvested yam till the end of the festival.


Traditionally, rituals are done to appreciate their god of harvest and also to apiece the gods for a more fruitful and prosperous years of harvest in all their endeavors.

The Igbo tribe hold this myth that yam was discovered during famine and they were told to sacrifice two humans to make them escape the famine.  So Ahiajoku and Ada was sacrificed; it was  later that where Ahiajoku was buried sprouted out yam and Ada brought cocoyam. So they see the festival as sacred and to be held in high esteem. They do theirs by killing goats and some tribes, the head of the family places 4-8 tubers of new yam to their shrine and kill chicken, the blood of the chicken is poured in the shrine as a sacrifice.



The Christian's have celebrated Easter, the Muslim eld ul firt (festival of breaking of fast) now the traditionalist are warming up for their new yam festival. We understand the rules of social distance and hand washing would be monitored. The traditional chief priest would go along to make whatever sacrifice and make sure he cleans his hand and sanitizes, and everyone could get their pounded yam or yam and roasted chicken in their houses then call a virtual meeting for the festival gathering. Well I'm just predicting how it would go, but you could still stay at home and hang out with event happening around you.



Know this stories shouldn't discourage you from eating yam or cocoyam, those who worship it as human beings, they have the right to believe what they like, but it is yam, and nothing but a food to me. Remember to keep the safety measures of covid-19. Always where a mask.

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