THE YAM FESTIVAL OF IZZI PEOPLE IN EBONYI STATE NIGERIA
The people of Izzi is geographically located in Ebonyi State south Eastern Nigeria. History have it that they originated from Anmegu, their Ancestral home just like
different other part of the world has a way of counting their year traditional so do the people of izzi land.
The definition of calendar and year support that Izzi is not bound to follow any particular way of counting their year traditional.
To count years like the English calendar, According to website Dictionary a calendar is a system of determining the beginning, length and division of a year and for arranging the year into days, weeks and months.
Hence the Izzi clan has a way of determining the beginning length and division of their year.
different other part of the world has a way of counting their year traditional so do the people of izzi land.
The definition of calendar and year support that Izzi is not bound to follow any particular way of counting their year traditional.
To count years like the English calendar, According to website Dictionary a calendar is a system of determining the beginning, length and division of a year and for arranging the year into days, weeks and months.
Hence the Izzi clan has a way of determining the beginning length and division of their year.
The Izzi culture, like any other people, has twelve (12) months in a year. The twelve month is divided into different seasons of the year, of which the major ones are the raining and the dry season.
They start counting the year from November to October and these two seasons falls within the stated period of months. the raining season is the period of planting of crops that are meant to be harvested during the ojiji festival but the dry season is the season of enjoying the harvested crops without much farm work to be attended to.
Izzi has five days in a week according to their method of counting and not seven days as seen in English calendar: The days of the week are:
They start counting the year from November to October and these two seasons falls within the stated period of months. the raining season is the period of planting of crops that are meant to be harvested during the ojiji festival but the dry season is the season of enjoying the harvested crops without much farm work to be attended to.
Izzi has five days in a week according to their method of counting and not seven days as seen in English calendar: The days of the week are:
1. Azua
2. Iboko
3. Okpo
4. Nwkegu
5. Ophoke which is seen as the resting day.
The people of Izzi practice shifting cultivation system of farming because of the availability of large area of land. This means that the people cultivate different crops including yam which is used for the new yam festival.
A week before the new yam celebration, the elders from Amegu would go to the ojiji shrine to offer sacrifice to thank the gods for leading the Izzi people out of the period of scarcity of food which is experienced during the dry season.
These elders are set apart men of rituals who have never eaten anything new till the very day they go to the shrine make the sacrifice. They reserve old water from the previous raining season to drink until the ojiji day.
They are not allowed to eat new groundnut, new corn, new yam etc anything new in the year cannot be eaten by them until the ojiji day.
Also a week before the celebration, new yams are allowed in all the markets of Izzi land and it becomes the announcement of the celebration proper and it an invitation that the festival will hold on the next iboko market day.
But if the elders refuse new yam into the market the celebration will not hold on the stipulated date. Son-in-laws Send new yam and other food items to their mother-in-laws as a way of celebrating with them, it is the mark of remembrance of your in-laws.
But if the elders refuse new yam into the market the celebration will not hold on the stipulated date. Son-in-laws Send new yam and other food items to their mother-in-laws as a way of celebrating with them, it is the mark of remembrance of your in-laws.
The ojiji festival normal hold in the month of August, it has being not to static celebration that is fixed to any day of the month of August and can also hold in any other month as maybe fixed and determined by the elders who are charged with such responsibilities.
Children of izzi origin pray for such celebration to be everyday affair because of the kind of love and freedom they experience during the celebration.
On the ojiji day nobody cooks Rice. The father of every home makes available new yam for the celebration.
The women prepares the yam and fufu which is a fermented cassava, severed and boil. These are to be eaten with a delicious beneseed soup. Fathers make also available fresh palm wine, which is always from the best tapper in the locality of the People; both young and old are allowed to dress in their native wear and visit friends and relatives to celebrate with them.
It is always a period of fun fair, you need to witness it and learn more about others culture. People of izzi origin both outside and within can celebrate in any part of the country they found themselves.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SOME AFRICAN CULTURES AND TRADITIONThe women prepares the yam and fufu which is a fermented cassava, severed and boil. These are to be eaten with a delicious beneseed soup. Fathers make also available fresh palm wine, which is always from the best tapper in the locality of the People; both young and old are allowed to dress in their native wear and visit friends and relatives to celebrate with them.
It is always a period of fun fair, you need to witness it and learn more about others culture. People of izzi origin both outside and within can celebrate in any part of the country they found themselves.
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