By: Ike Philip Abiagom
The New Yam festival is a significant cultural celebration in Anioma land. The essence of the festival includes expressing gratitude to the gods, ancestors, and the earth for the harvest.
“It is the celebration of Anioma traditions, customs, and identity, community bonding, strengthening social ties, unity, and cooperation among community members, honouring the gods of fertility, agriculture and prosperity and feasting and merriment, sharing food, drinks, and joy with family, friends and community.”
Excitement reigned supreme in Okpanam Kingdom,as Ogbueshi Chibuzor Okocha aka atakalagbu Celebrated his Annual New Yam Festival as Custom and Tradition demands with his people at his palatial residence.
Our Oracle turned Miracle of Nigerian Politics, Distinguished Senator Peter Onyelukachukwu Nwaoboshi who was accompanied by prominent traditional Obis, Chiefs and indigenes of the Anioma community attended the event.
The New Yam Festival is an annual cultural festival celebrated by the Okpanam Kingdom at the end of the rainy season. The celebration is popularly known as Iwa ji festival and is also celebrated in other Anioma nation and beyond.
At the beginning of the festival, tubers of yam are offered to the gods and ancestors first, before distributing the yams to the people. The ritual is performed either by the king of the community or by the oldest man in the community.
This celebration is an important event in the calendar of Anioma people all over the world, as the festival is an epitome of the people’s religious belief. This year’s New Yam festival was no different as it was a highly captivating event.
Prior to the event,the Ogbueshi Chibuzor Okocha aka atakalagbu in a statement made available to Newsbreeze had disclosed that the people of Okpanam witnessed another exciting moment in the kingdom yesterday.
According to him, “Iwa ji is an annual event that we observe to promote the culture and tradition of our people.It brings us together as a community to celebrate and also brainstorm on way forward of our community.
“I extended the New Yam Festival invitation to sons and daughters of Okpanam,indigenes of Oshimili North LGA and Oshimili South, friends and well wishers in Delta and beyond and it was honoured as you can see the personalities present”.
Ogbueshi Chibuzor Okocha aka atakalagbu used the opportunity to thank his mentor and political father, Distinguished Senator Peter Nwaoboshi for his love and respect towards the custodian of Okpanam culture. The Iwa-ji festival was turned to a carnival, as different dance groups danced to the admiration of the guest.
He encouraged youth in the community and the larger society some of whom he said are struggling to earn a living to retract, look inwardly, and believe in the tradition. “What it requires is when the planting season comes, you do your own normal thing with your family; cultivate your yam and whenever it gets to harvest time, you harvest and celebrate with others,” he said.
Congratulations the true son of Okpanam!!!