In the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving day on November 24th of every year and on that day we gather with our families and friends to thank God for his many blessings.   We won't get into the history of Thanksgiving day in the states and the brutality often associated with it - we will keep this on a positive note.  Amongst the Igbos, Thanksgiving is also celebrated as well but we call it the new yam festival or Iri Ji Ohu and we gather with our families too as well.  Please listen to Ifeanyi Onyeji - the youngest man in Igbo land, as he educates you on part of our cultural heritage.  Get your Igbo friends to help you.

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Greets everyone.
I am using this opportunity to say that God bless everyone that is listening to this podcast.  I want to greet this musician that sang about hunger. Today,  I want to talk about Thanksgiving day and our New Yam Festival.  What is yam?  Why is it so important? and more.  Please listen in.

(new yam festival - dublin - image from google)

What is yam?

Yam is a tuber that is planted amongst the Igbos.  The question then becomes what makes it so important amongst the Igbos that they will name a whole festival after it.  Remember, when we spoke about Kolanut and its significance - well this is as significant.  Yam is revered because of its history, the length of time it takes to grow and how it is used in Igbo culture.   In different parts of Nigeria and Africa, yams are  planted at different times of the year but the Igbos, celebrate their yam  festival around this time. 

To plant yam - you prepare the ground, then you burn the ground, then get the sticks ready, cut the yam and then plant it.  It is a long process.  It takes time.

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We have so many types of yams.  There is white yam, old yam, grey yam, old yam etc and each of these yams have their different styles and ways of planting but we won't go into that today. 

Upon hearing this - the question becomes - what makes yam so different from potato, cassava and other tuber products?

One could say the history.  Interestingly, when we were colonized by the British, they tried their best to stop us from eating and celebrating this culture.  They viewed it as heathenish but despite all they tried, they weren't able to get rid of this culture.   There are two stories/myths that will be discussed that are tied to the reason that we celebrate yam and these are the stories:

Story one:

A king was very sick and thought he was going to die.   Some young children went to visit him and he decided to serve some yams to his young visitors.  He took the yam, roasted it and gave it to them to eat.  After eating these children thanked him and left.  The very next day, the king was healed.  As a result of that healing that occurred through the gifting of yam, new yam festival is celebrated.

Story Two

There was hunger in the land and people were dying.  They cried out to their king to save them.  He went to the native doctor and cried out to the gods.  The gods responded and said that if he offers a child as a sacrifice hunger will be lifted from the land.  He did this  and went to bed.  The next day, yam were all over the place and some were falling from the skies.   As a result, new yam festival is celebrated as way of marking the end of hunger and acknowledging yams as the gift from the gods.

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                                                                                             New Yam Festival in Ghana - Image from google

Remember as you chomp on your turkey during thanksgiving, there are others in the village who will be enjoying their yams. It is sad to note that many seem to be forgetting traditional ways of life in search of more westernized ideals.  

In the village setting this is what occurs during the new yam festival, many bring the yams that they’ve grown and these yams are compared, the person with the biggest and healthiest yams is considered as being the king of yams.  The king will now take a roasted yam, cut it and eat a piece with igbo oil mixed with ukpaka and salt.  After he has eaten his share, then everyone will join him in eating and then go home and continue eating yams for a couple of days.  Yam pepper soup, fried yam, boiled yam, yam pottage, yam and vegetables and all sorts of yam delicacies will be on the menu for a couple of days.  Don't forget the celebrations that will be taking place in the village square with lots of dancing, masquerades and drumming. 

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Thankfully, many in the diasporas are still continuing with this tradition.  Till we meet again.  Take care and God Bless.

Igbo Kwenu.

You can reach ifeanyi Onyeji at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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