The New Yam Festival

From ancient times to the present, yam has been regarded as one of Nigeria's most important crops since it is grown in almost all of the country's states, and anyone who owns a yam barn is considered one of the community's wealthiest individuals. Yam is regarded as more than just food in Nigeria, and is one of the most common foods used as bride price when a man seeks a woman's hand in marriage. Due to numerous mystical ideologies surrounding Yam from ancestors' stories passed down to them until today, the event is predominantly celebrated by the Igbo people.

Since some or most common Yams are annual crops, but they are frequently viewed as permanent crops due to their life-cycle, the New Yam Festival is held every year to commemorate the conclusion and beginning of a new season. It is also said to be a taboo to eat the new Yam before the celebration because it is a way of pleasing and appealing to the gods and spirit of harvest, as well as the god of the Earth, and thanking them for a bountiful harvest, making the god happy and bringing more good harvest in the coming season.

Location: Southern, Western, and the Idoma tribe in Nigeria

Date: August