New Yam Festival of the Igbo

[1][2][3] The Iri ji festival (literally "new-yam eating")[4] is practiced throughout West Africa (especially in Nigeria and Ghana)[1] and other African countries and beyond.

The celebration is a cultural occasion tying individual Igbo communities together as essentially agrarian and dependent on yam.

The festival features Igbo cultural activities in the form of contemporary shows, masquerade dances, and fashion parades.

The rituals are meant to express the gratitude of the community to the gods for making the harvest possible, and they are widely followed despite more modern changes due to the influence of Christianity in the area.

Folk dances, masquerades, parades, and parties create an experience that some participants characterize as "art"; the colorful festival is a spectacle of exhibited joy, thanks, and community display.

[7] The yam used for the main ritual at the festival is usually roasted and served with palm oil (mmanụ nri).