Ajirioghene Imah
It was pomp and pageantry on Tuesday, as Onifa of Ado-Ekiti, Awise Dauda Lawal celebrated the annual New Yam Festival known as ‘Odun Ijesu’ with family and friends to express gratitude to God for blessing their land with bountiful harvest.
The festival was marked by traditional dances, music, prayers to the creator and the symbolic yam cutting ceremony, all of which showcased the vibrancy of Yoruba culture.
Awise Dauda Lawal said the New Yam Festival is an occasion for his family and friends to offer gratitude to their deities for a bountiful harvest and to usher in a season of abundance.
According to him, the festival is an important part of tradition which should be passed from generation to generation and not be eradicated.
His words: “Since the new yam came, we have not been eating yam and it is in celebration of it. Prayers are being offered to our god in appreciation for sparing our lives to see a new season.
“Before the inception of plate we use leaves to eat the new yam. We are grateful for a new life. Alot planted the yam and could not eat it. In my father’s house until when we celebrate the new yam that’s when we can eat it.”
He however advised youths in the State not to derail from the rich culture of the land, rather imbibe it in their daily lives, noting that patience in their quest for wealth is the essential.
He also appreciated Governor Biodun Oyebanji for his good work in the State adding that he is the best they’ve had so far.
Fatai Adesoji, a family friend at the event and indigene said the people of Ekiti State are known to be professional farmers, with Yam as its main crop.
He implored the present generation not to neglect the customs and traditions of their root, adding that those who abandon their culture are bound to fail.