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The New Yam Festival of the Igbo people (''Orureshi in the idoma area'', Iwa ji, Iri ji or Ike ji, depending on dialect) is an annual cultural festival by the Igbo people held at the end of the rainy season in early August.〔(Yam Festival ). Retrieved 11-05-2009.〕〔Daniels, Ugo. ''African Loft''. 06-11-2007. (Iwa ji Ofu (New Yam Festival) In Igboland! ). Retrieved 11-05-2009.〕 The Iwa ji festival (literally "''new-yam eating''")〔Omenuwa, Onyema. ''TheWeek''. 11-22-2007. Republished by Philip Emeagwali. (Igbo Festival: In Honour of New Yam ). Retrieved 11-05-2009.〕 is practiced throughout West Africa (especially in Nigeria and Ghana)〔 and other African countries and beyond, symbolizing the conclusion of a harvest and the beginning of the next work cycle.〔 The celebration is a very culturally based occasion, tying individual Igbo communities together as essentially agrarian and dependent on yam.〔 == Igbo tradition == Yams are the first crop to be harvested, and are the most important crop of the region.〔 The New Yam Festival known is therefore a celebration depicting the prominence of yam in the social-cultural life of Igbo people. The evening prior to the day of the festival, all old yams (from the previous year's crop) are consumed or discarded. This is because it is believed that the New Year must begin with tasty, fresh yams instead of the old dried-up crops of the previous year. 〔 The next day, only dishes of yam are served, as the festival is symbolic of the abundance of the produce.〔 Traditionally, Depending on the communities, the style and method of the festivity differs, but the essential components that surround the event always remain the same. In some communities the festivities last the whole day and in many places it may stretch up to one week or even more. These festivities normally include a lot of variety entertainment including performance of ceremonial rites by the Igwe (King), or the eldest man, cultural dances by Igbo men, women and their children as well as a display of Igbo cultural activities in the form of contemporary shows, masquerade dance, fashion parade, and feasting at a grand scale on a wide variety of food making up the menu of the Igbos. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「New Yam Festival of the Igbo」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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