Festivals

﻿ Ali McClure-Festivals New Yam Festival: -One of the Igbo’s biggest celebrations is the also a cultural celebration -The New Yam Festival is celebrated in August of every year and can carry throughout December -This day symbolizes the end of a harvest and working season, and the beginning of a new harvest -Food is provided for everyone, friend’s families and the ones who "harvested" the crops also. -Before the festival begins, yams are offered to the ancestors and gods; the king or the oldest man in the community performs this action -This celebration is meant to, “express the community's appreciation to the gods for making the harvest of their yams possible”. -Marriages and funerals also occur during this festival -Drinking wine, and dancing are two common events during every New Yam Festival -SIGNIFICANCE: the significance of the New Yam Festival is the village’s appreciation for a good yam harvest



Masquerades: -Entertainment was provided through dancing and eating -The annual masquerade is in November

Other Igbo Festivals: The Igbo also celebrate many of the same holidays as the Nigerian people. -They celebrate Nigerian Independence Day, Christmas, New Years and Easter -Each town has their own festivals, these are usually held during the spring or summer to welcome a new harvest-and also in the fall to signify the end of the harvest

Websites: http://www.igboguide.org/index.php?l=chapter9 http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Mauritania-to-Nigeria/Igbo.html [] [|http://www.motherlandnigeria.com/festivals.html#new_yam] http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16319&Itemid=46

Picture: Yam Picture: [] Wedding Cake: [] Dancing: [|http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.oraifite.com/images/igbo-wedding-pictures-6.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.oraifite.com/culture-and-traditions/igbo-wedding-] [|pictures.php&usg=__RxSv9CymWyt_LxZu0TnKcObmoV8=&h=350&w=528&sz=52&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=66fk95xCrvI84M:&tbnh=138&tbnw=219&prev=/images%3Fq%3Digbo%2Bdancing%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1073%26bih%3D434%2] [|6gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=771&vpy=84&dur=1295&hovh=183&hovw=276&tx=103&ty=102&ei=41nETOvuDcKqlAem6_wC&oei=41nETOvuDcKqlAem6_wC&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=9&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0]

Nicolette Dixon's Research
During the month of August, a celebrations begins. It is known as the New Yam Festival. It's celebrated by each individual Igbo community on a different day, and it symbolizes the beginning and end of a working cycle. Everyone is invited to this celebration. It really is a day of coming together with friends, family, acquaintances and even those you don't know. There is a vast amount of food that everyone can enjoy. When everyone has eaten their fill, then there are cultural dances to burn it right off.

The night right before the starting day of the New Yam Festival, all the old yams are thrown away, which symbolizes a whole new year of abundant yams. As the festival begins, yams are offered to the gods before they are handed out. A brief ceremony follows and then the festivities begin. This festival is very significant to the Nigerian people because it symbolizes a new year of good harvests and luck in the fields.

Source For New Yam Festival : [|http://www.motherlandnigeria.com/festivals.html#new_yam]

Pictures For <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">New Yam Festival :

<span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">http://www.vivienne-mackie.com/articles/holidays/family/yams.jpg - **Yams** <span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">http://www.mentalfloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/440yam.jpg - **Young Man Standing Up With Drum** <span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">http://images.travelpod.com/users/antje.gohmann/westafrika_2007.1186679040.a13_new_yams_musik.jpg - **Group Of Men Marching W/ Drums** <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">http://www.nigerianbestforum.com/generaltopics/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/49194527_compositie.jpg - **Wheelbarrow Of Yams/Festival**

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