Nnewi Afiaolu Festival facts for kids

The Afiaolu (pronounced Ah-fee-ah-oh-loo) festival is also known as the New Yam Festival. It's a special yearly celebration held in Nnewi, Nigeria, usually around August. This festival starts on a day called "Eke" with traditions like "IWAJI" (slicing of yam) and "Ikpa Nku" (gathering wood). These activities show that new yams are ready to eat and are a way to thank God for the harvest.

The festival is full of fun! It includes special ceremonies led by the Igwe (the king), cultural dances by girls, and exciting masquerade performances.

Yam is a very important crop for the Igbo community. It's their main food. The New Yam Festival, also called ‘Iwa-Ji Ohuu’ or ‘Iri-Ji Ohuu’, shows how important yam is to their way of life. During the festival, people thank God for the new yam harvest. They also perform old traditions to make sure the new yam is ready for everyone to eat.

What is the Afiaolu Festival?

The communities in Aneado (which includes Nnewi) share similar beliefs and traditions. One of their most famous cultural events is the New Yam (Afiaolu) festival. This festival is full of drama and special rituals. It honors Ufiojiokwu, who is believed to be the god of land fertility.

The Afiaolu festival usually takes place in August every year. It lasts for four traditional days. The celebration officially begins on an "Eke" day, continues through "Orie" and "Afor" days, and finishes on an "Nkwo" day.

Preparations for the festival start about five months before. Young girls learn special dances, guided by young men. They also decorate their bodies and wear colorful clothes. Young men join special masquerade groups so they can take part in the masquerade dances.

The evening before the festival, all the old yams from the previous year are eaten or thrown away. This is followed by "Onuakuku," which means farmers put away their hoes and machetes after the farming season. Even if many families have already started eating new yams, the town's main ancestral deities (like "Edo" and "Ele") and their chief priests must not taste new yam until the "Afiaolu" festival.

Eke Day: The Start of the Celebration

On the first day of the festival, called "Eke," the Igwe of Nnewi leads a special thanksgiving ceremony. This happens at the village square, which is now called a roundabout. Due to new buildings, this event now takes place at Agbo-Edo Nnewi. Here, yams are offered to God and to the ancestors.

After the thanksgiving, elders from different Nnewi communities bring chickens to the chief priest of Edo at the palace. They do this in order of their community's importance. The chief priest then parades these chickens. Later, the chickens are taken to a farm and sacrificed to "Ufiojiokwu," the god of land fertility.

Next, there's a ritual called "Iwa Oji" (breaking Kola nut). The Igwe performs this because people believe he connects their communities to the gods. "Iwaoji" shows the community's thanks to the gods for a good harvest.

After "Iwaoji" comes "IKPA NKU" (gathering wood). This wood is used to roast newly sliced yams. People believe that roasting the new yam makes all other harvested yams strong, tasty, and healthy. The Igwe is usually the first to eat the roasted yam. After he eats, others are invited to join him.

As soon as the Igwe eats the yam, masquerades like "Mikpala" and "Ikehudo" appear. They walk around the village square and market, playfully teasing and entertaining children and women. The first appearance of these masquerades means that the Igwe has officially eaten the new yam.

Olie Day: Dances and Merriment

The next day, "Olie," is a day for dance performances by young girls and boys. The "Igba Ijele" dance is a special performance by this group. It is dedicated to "Edo" and other public gods of the land. With the "Iwaji" ceremony completed, people are free from worry about hunger. Now, the celebrations can truly begin! This is when "Igbaijele" dancers appear for the first time that year.

The dancers first perform at the Edo shrine. Then, they tour the Nkwo market square. Finally, they enter the Igwe's palace, where the main dance takes place. During the dance, people get very excited. They move their bodies rhythmically and twist their waists. Highly skilled leaders guide the "Igba Ijele" chorus. This is a time for friendly competition to see who is the best dancer of the year. The best dancer is honored.

Afor Day: Masquerade Drama

Among all the days of the "Afiaolu" festival, the evening of "Afor" is often the most fun and memorable. This evening is usually set aside for masquerade drama. The Igwe and his advisors often invite the Ijele masquerade from Umueri, Anambra State.

The Ijele is known as the "king of masquerades" in Anambra state. It's like a family of four characters: the mother, father, police, and palm wine tapper.

• Nne Ijele (meaning "mother of Ijele") is always the first to appear. She is a beautiful lady masquerade. She holds a large ox tail and a carved, colorful plate. She dances to flute and soft music.
• Ijele "Onuku" (Ijele father) has a big face and wears special chief's clothes. He follows his "wife" into the performance area.
• Next are the Ijele police. There are usually six of them. Their job is to make sure people don't get too close to the Ijele father and mother.
• Completing the group is the Ijele palm wine Tapper. This character stays behind Ijele to pick up anything it might drop during its performance.

Another important person is the Ijele fan carrier, also called the Akupe carrier. This isn't a masquerade itself, but it plays a very important role. It leads the Ijele with its powerful, symbolic fan called "Akupe." If an Ijele loses sight of the fan and its carrier, it can get lost, which means danger. The Ijele only moves when the fan carrier moves and stops when the fan carrier stops.

For Ijele to start performing, its musical instruments must be ready. These instruments include drums, "ogene Ubom," "Uyo," "Ekwe," and a flute (Oja –Ufele). The Ijele dances grandly to the royal "Igba – eze" music, which means "dance of the kings." This music is also known as "Akunechenyi" in Anambra state.

The Ijele masquerade only performs after seven cannon gunshots are fired into the air, along with the sound of its royal music. The Ijele usually performs during the dry season to celebrate fertility and a good yearly harvest.

Nkwo Day: The Final Prayers

"Nkwo" day is the last day of the "Afiaolu" festival. On this day, the chief priest, the Igwe, and the elders offer final prayers for the community. Sacrifices are made to Edo to protect children, both at home and away.

Women who have been asked to cook prepare pounded yam and bitter leaf soup. This food is taken to the palace to feed both visitors and the people of Nnewi who are present. This day is also dedicated to all the adult masquerades. They are displayed at special places for each village. All four communities are represented by one masquerade. For example, "Orinuli" from Otolo, "Ayakozikwo-nai" from Uruagu, "Ozo–ebunu" from Umudim, and "Ebu–Ebu" from Nnewichi perform in their different areas to end the day's activities. After this, the Afiaolu traditional festival of Nnewi comes to an end.