Yam festival
Encyclopedia
The Yam Festival is a popular holiday in Ghana
and Nigeria
, usually held in the beginning of August at the end of the rainy season. It is named after yam
s, the most common food in many African countries. It is also known as "Ikeji" in Nigeria. In Nigeria, dancers wear masks that reflect the seasons or other aspects of nature.
Yams are the first crops of the season to be harvested. People offer yams to gods
and ancestors before distributing them to the villagers to give thanks to the spirits above them.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, usually held in the beginning of August at the end of the rainy season. It is named after yam
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
s, the most common food in many African countries. It is also known as "Ikeji" in Nigeria. In Nigeria, dancers wear masks that reflect the seasons or other aspects of nature.
Yams are the first crops of the season to be harvested. People offer yams to gods
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
and ancestors before distributing them to the villagers to give thanks to the spirits above them.
See also
- Trobriand IslandsTrobriand IslandsThe Trobriand Islands are a 450 km² archipelago of coral atolls off the eastern coast of New Guinea. They are situated in Milne Bay Province in Papua New Guinea. Most of the population of 12,000 indigenous inhabitants live on the main island of Kiriwina, which is also the location of the...
- Bronisław Malinowski (1929) The Sexual Life of Savages in North-Western MelanesiaThe Sexual Life of Savages in North-Western MelanesiaThe Sexual Life of Savages in North-Western Melanesia is a 1929 book by anthropologist Bronisław Malinowski...