Steemit Engagement Challenge Week 2 || Share your Country's Culture by @kingworldline

Is really impressive engagement plan to outreach out different communities, am so happy and is my pleasant pleasure to write on my "Favorite culture" on the Steemit Pakistan, I hope you find my post so interesting, I welcome everyone on my post. Am @kingworldline

So on this occasion I will be writing and giving details on my favourite culture which is "The "Nigeria Igbo New Yam festival". On this I will be running down the following on origin or history, How we celebrate it over here in Nigeria? And also more details on whether it is celebrated like a few generations ago or newer generations lack awareness also and whether they are insensitive to the yam festival which occurs once in a year.

What is culture

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The word culture has to do with cumulative deposit of belief, value, attitude, experience, knowledge, hierarchies, religion, notion of time, roles, spatial relationship concept, lineage possession which is being acquired and inherited by our substituents group off springs, individual in the course of generation transition, hence culture is a relative belief, knowledge practice by a good number of individuals over a certain period of time, which is used as means of communication, where knowledge of a particular event are being passed to the awareness of all in the same tribe.

Write about its origin/history.

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So as regards to the above caption, I will being writing on the history behind the belief of the new yam festival which occurs in the eighth month of the year (August), in the South Eastern part of my country Nigeria, which comprises of five which are Abia state, Anambra state, Ebonyi state, Enugu State, Imo state.

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The new yam festival which is known as the "Iri ji ohuru" in my native language is practice in the Igbo land Which compromise of 5 state in Nigeria, hence this five state actually practice the same cultural right on their language, the mode of dressing, food of which yam is one of the respected food based on that fact that is being regarded as the king of all food of which it was given the a particular month (August) to celebrate the well yield of their first fruit food being farm every year.

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Also this harvest also represents a new cycle of farming in Igbo land, of which the celebration is observed in a cultural manner where Igbo individuals and communities along with kings of the respective communities are bound to observe this ceremony in respect to the first yielding of their farm.

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Yam is among the first seasonal plant which is planted and harvest in a farming season which occurs in the range of April and August, hence other crops are also harvested are eaten with fanfar unlike yam, hence this yam festival is actually a festive celebration which depicts that of the prominence of yam Igbo social-cultural way of life of the earthen part of the country known as the Igbo people. Hence before the festive day, it is expected that all the old yams are either consumed or discarded of which some communities practice that, in order to welcome the new king of food (Yam).

How do you celebrate it?

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Although there is minor difference in course of these celebration among the communities, states in the South Eastern Nigeria of which the method, styles differ from each communities of which the essential purpose of the festive right are being meet, hence the festive celebration is usually a day celebration which last for whole day and also in some place it can last for a week interval or more.

This festive period comes along with different entertainment and as well ceremonies which includes the king (Igwe) rites performance, the eldest man and as cultural dancing by men and as well women, award, and wrestling contest. The following are activities being carried out during this occasion.

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The dancing ceremony
Dancing is one of the activities which serves as entertainment to the village people, meanwhile this is being carried out at the market square or some time in the king's palace, at the point of dancing a lot of magical traditional dancing skills are shown to the public to entice the interest of people.

On this dancing show, they also have the youth dance and adult dance which comes with sweet and interesting melodies from the instrument players.

Many youths get hooked up for marriage, during crowd occasions, and sometimes the king son makes his choice on whom to marry among the dancers. The dancing ceremony in the yam festival is so interesting.

Also the festive period accommodates a festive features like the masquerade dance and as well fashion parade

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Wrestling show

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The essence of this is to determine the strongest man in the community, and hence this wrestling competition is carried out during the Noble occasion of the yam festival, hence before commencement of this wrestling which is known as (igbamgba) started, the wrestlers are main to eat the roasted yam which signifies the energy and strength.
Followed by the cycle formed by my people of the village and visitors alongside with the local drummers beating the drum with the song of fight and song of victory in the both party sides here in the cycle surrounding these two wrestlers are children, adults both man and woman watching who will be victorious in the wrestling.

The arena of the gathering is always noisy due the chanting of both parties, then after the wrestling the winner is declared and as well as rewarded as the strongest man that year which is known as (ikenga) in my native language alongside with gift and price.

Award

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On this special occasion the award of the best dancer, the best yam producer which is know in my native language as (Eze Ji) is also award to the best farmer with bountiful yam, and also reward for the strong man is also given to honoured the strongest man in the community which is also known as (Ikenga) in my native language.

In the other hand, every communities has the own day mapped out for this celebration which fall within the expected duration which always take place from the beginning of August to the last day of the month depending the day or week each community decide to observe the seasonal rite or the ceremony

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On the first hour of the day of yam festival, the yam are being offer as sacrifice to the gods of the land and as well to the ancestors which are the past glory hero of the land, then after that the yam now distributed to the villager, hence this ritual is being done by eldest man in Igbo land or by the king of the communities depend the on the law of the land.

Hence after the the prayer and of thanks giving to the gods the community believe on, then they proceed to eat the first yam with red oil believing that they have served as intermediary between the gods of the land and the people of the community, hence this rituals involves the eating of the first fruit of yam to show their appreciation to the gods of the land over a successful harvest over a particular season on the yam and other food harvested, meanwhile this has shows the sign of being pragmatic, religious and as well appreciative.

To the whole Igbo land, this period is so symbolic in the life of any Igbo indigenes, and cause for enjoyment after the harvest season which shows the gratitude over their bountiful harvest without death and hunger, hence this occasion is welcome by any Igbo man or woman all over the world.

Is it celebrated like few generations ago or newer generations lack awareness

As for these ceremony it actually started from our fore father to our generation, hence this has lasted over centuries and has being maintain by the the families, friends, and as well the king lineage from the creation of the Igbo land according to history, different families are adjoined together to celebrate this as symbol of love and unity among themselves, hence due to this fact, all man or woman born by man and woman of Igbo land celebrate in remember of the gods and the past heroes of the land.

Although due to civilization, it has dropped the zeal due to the impact that the Christianity has introduce a lot of laws to the Land since the civilization of my country Nigeria, although this is still in seriously practice by those in the rural region of South East of Nigeria, while those living around around the urban setting are civilized with the white man postulate which has cause the practice of this to reduce to an extent and is only done observed in the rural area, and aborted by some Christian homes, but still then every born of Igbo land has the belief and the knowledge of the yam festival which comes once in year, which attracts different Igbo indigiene to come back from the urban to the rural area in order to celebrate this occasion, and use that medium hang up with their friends to celebrate the festive period set aside by Igbo people ( Ndi-Igbo)

The truth remain that the more development and civilization into the rural area, the more abortion of this practice in the Igbo land which has cause the lack of practice of this festive period by those living in the urban areas.

Conclusion

I will first say thanks to the Steemit and Steemit Pakistan for this wonderful opportunity they gave to me to express my best and favourite festive season in South East of Nigeria, of which I was able to express my view on the "first yam festival" of which every Igbo indigenes is aware the time and the month it occurs, is once again my pleasure to rest my write up here.

Thanks for your review!
Am @kingworldline