The Igbo harvest festival marking the end of the planting cycle and the offering of the first yams to the gods and ancestors. Held between August and October across Igboland, the festival begins with the eldest man eating the first yam of the season after thanks have been offered. New Yam ceremonies are also kept in Yoruba, Idoma, and Niger Delta communities, where yam is the symbol of life and prosperity.
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Tradition· Codex · Ritual
New Yam Festival
Igbo (Nigeria); related yam-honouring festivals across West Africa · West Africa
