ikeji or iriji

NEW YAM FESTIVAL IN AFIKPO (IKEJI OR IRIJI)

The yam festival marks the end of an abundant food-producing harvest and also marks the beginning of the traditional New Calendar Year. African people have always had festivals at the time of the harvest. In Afikpo the Yam Festival (Ikeji or Iriji) lasts three days. The festival begins with a cleansing ceremony to honor family members who have d!ed. Farmers give thanks to the gods of the land that brought about the abundant and good harvest.

This festival is held once every year, usually in August or rarely September, just as the rainy season is coming to an end, and crops are ripe and ready to harvest. There is plenty of maize (corn) as well as other vegetables, such as okra, beans, cassava, and yams.

Yams are usually the first fruits of the harvest, the staple food of many peoples of western Africa. The yam is a large tuberous root related to the sweet potato, but not exactly the same. American sweet potatoes are usually orange, but African yams can be white, yellow, or orange inside (but they still taste sweet) and come in many shapes and sizes: some can be up to a few feet long.

Yams are very versatile and can be cooked in many ways: roasted, boiled, added to soups and stews, fried, mashed, or dried and pounded into flour. The traditional dish is called UTARA JI. This is boiled, mashed yams, with a little butter or palm oil, often still eaten in the traditional way—with the hands.

At the New Yam Feast, the Afikpo people serve yams with fish, beef or chicken or with vegetables. Most homes prepare yam with the famous Igbo white soup with moulded melon (ohe sarara ya ahu akpuruakpu) with palm wine or beer.

On the eve of the New yam festival day, there is a cultural practice involve more like a r!tual called ICHU AHU (the chasing away of the old year) here the men light fires across each street, each community, each villages, asking the old year to go with it's misfortune as the new year comes with a better and promising future. New yam festival is not just a festival it is also a new year calender in Afikpo.

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Before Registration Do's and dont's

Mbig dos and donts 

The rules and contract must be kept .

No swim wear ,bikinis or indecent dressing  during the camp and event.

No unauthorized press conference or outing .

Dishonesty is not allowed .

Undeclared gifts or invites disqualifies participants .

Every official outing must be chaperoned .

Management decision is final .

Integrity above all concern .

All documented rules of the organisation is final .

Event year would not tolerate less than 40% participation .

To be a good ambassador in and out of the pageant year 

To be present for the final walk and gift sessions 

Milestone achievement  above any consideration 

To carry oneself with dignity and integrity .

Management 

Registration is on of  Igbo speaking female participants  for season 21 Adandiigbo Cultural pageants ,Milestone  empowerment and participation  . 

Participants are expected to be between 18-27 years . Must be from Abia ,Anambra ,Delta  Ebonyi ,Enugu ,Imo or Rivers state.

Participants should send  name ,picuture ,state and age to adaevent@ yahoo com and 08063939351  09019852122

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sponsors ,adverts , Igbo cultural custodians are welcome

Adandiigbo.blogspot.com

Season 21 agwabunma ; why are we

Empowering young Igbo girls through cultural pageants can have a profound impact on their self-esteem, confidence, and cultural identity. 

By celebrating their heritage and promoting positive role models, Adandiigbo Cultural Pageant has helped in the last 21 years to shape the next generation of leaders and mothers.

Some potential ways to empower young Igbo girls through the pageant include Mentorship programs,Cultural education on values ,etiquette and ethics ,Leadership development and encouraging leadership skills,Community engagement through projects in the community.

By focusing on empowerment and cultural celebration, Adandiigbo Cultural Pageant has created a lasting impact on the lives of young Igbo girls and the community as a whole ,this intervention is hardly taught in schools and formal institutions ,that is why your role in the empowerment of every future mother and potential leader is important . 

We expect you to be part of this exercise as Adandiigbo cultural pageant strikes 21 years .

Your efforts in promoting Igbo ethnic leadership would be appreciated