The Adventures of John & George: New Yam Festival

This last Sunday was a busy day. Chris's family were celebrating the New Yam festival and had invited me to come and celebrate with them before Chris and I went of the the Femi Kuti concert (see below).

So, what's a New Yam Festival you ask?

Here's a little info:

New Yam Festival (a.k.a. Iri-ji ) - One of the biggest festivals celebrated by the Igbos. Chris and his family are Igbo a tribe from the East in Enugu (one of the tribes that tried to secede in the civil war). The festival is celebrated in August of each year. This day symbolizes the conclusion of a work/harvest cycle and the beginning of another. There is abundant food for not just the harvesters but also for friends and well-wishers. A variety of festivities mark the eating of new yam, including cultural dances etc.

On the last night before the festival, yams of the old year are gotten rid of by those who still have them. 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.

Before the festival starts, the yams are offered to gods and ancestors first before distributing them to the villagers. The ritual is performed either by the oldest man in the community or by the king. They eat the first yam because it is believed that their position gives them the privilege of being intermediaries between their communities and the gods of the land. The rituals involved in the new yam eating are meant to express the community's appreciation to the gods for making the harvest of their yams possible. Chris's father is the king of their village, so the tradition is still upheld with all the Eze clan members in Lagos. I, apparently, was the guest of honour. (thanks for not telling me that before I got there Chris....) Unfortunately George was offshore on a rig at the time.

At the new yam festival, only dishes of yam are served since the festival is symbolic of the abundance of the produce. So much of it is cooked that, no matter how heavily the family eats or how many friends and relatives they invite, there is always much food left over at the end of the day.

We had a dish of pounded yam and egusi soup. Now I have to admit that pounded yam (yam that's been boiled and then mashed in a big mortar & pestle) normally tastes like cardboard. But this stuff was GOOD!! Extremely filling mind you (it's like eating play-doh) so it wasn't the best start before a whole lot of dancing.. but hey.

Stella (Chris's sister) did all the cooking, whilst Christopher, (Chris's younger brother) did the pounding.
The yam pounder

mmm... Egusi soup (made from ground melon seeds, smoked fish, a few peppers and a little non-descript meat)

Everyone had way too much to eat but in usual style had a great time. Chris mum, Uke, is in purple

Chris enjoying a meal

Christopher and his girlfriend and me wondering what I just ate...

Always a showman, Christopher steals some of mums food

No knife and fork around here. I'm still not sure if any of this was the right cure the the hangover I was wrestling with from the previous evenings round 7 World Catch-phrase championships. (I can never remember who wins though...) Not my most photogenic day.