Ch.+6a+Festivals+-+Amirah

=__ ﻿ ﻿ Festivals of the Ibo/Igbo tribe__=

__The New Yam Festival__
====The New Yam festival is very important to Ibo/Igbo culture. It celebrates the time of the new yam harvest. Old yams are used in the grand dishes of food, so there is space for the new harvest of yams. All homes are cleaned, and the women delicious dishes with yams to celebrate the occasion.The festival is usually held at the beginning of August, after the rainy season. Yams are always the first crop to harvest, and many people offer their yams to gods and ancestors. They give thanks to their spirits by offering yams. In Nigeria, yams are the most common food, and everyone enjoys and eats them with many different dishes.====

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__Igbo/Ibo Holidays/Festivals__
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====The Igbo/Ibo tribes celebrate all the major national holidays of Nigeria, as well as local festivals.The major Nigerian holidays they partake in include, New Years Day (Jan. 1), Easter (Mar. or April), Nigerian Independence Day (Oct. 1), and Christmas (Dec.24-26). Many of their local festivals they celebrate have something to do with the start and end of the agricultural cycle. The Northern Igbo tribe represents the spirits of the deceased women and their mothers with masks that are to symbolize beauty. Their masks take from the features of the deceased women, and tattoos are added. The Eastern Igbo tribe are known for their masquerades. The forms of their masks are decided from tradition, and the theme of the harvest festival varies from year to year.==== media type="youtube" key="mPVebJD_zBQ?fs=1" height="385" width="480" This is a video of the Ibo/Igbo tribe celebrating their annual festival of their new harvest of yams. It is known as the New Yam Festival. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVebJD_zBQ

__**Works Cited**__ Picture/Video: //IITA Research for Development (R4D) Review//. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. .

"Misi - AfricanLoft Lounge Member - Where the People and Friends of Africa Mingle." //AfricanLoft Lounge - Where the People and Friends of Africa Mingle.// Web. 09 Nov. 2010. .

//World News//. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. .

"YouTube - New Yam Festival 2009 - Nzuko Ndi Igbo Sweden." //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.// Web. 09 Nov. 2010. .

Information: "Answers.com - The Yam Festival in the Igbo Culture." //WikiAnswers - The Q&A Wiki//. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. .

"Answers.com - What Is the Week of Peace in the Igbo Culture." //WikiAnswers - The Q&A Wiki//. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. .

"Igbo - Introduction, Location, Language, Folklore, Religion, Major Holidays, Rites of Passage, Relationships, Living Conditions." //Countries and Their Cultures//. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. .

"Igbo Tribal Mask Art History and Culture." //Rebirth African Tribal Art Gallery//. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. .