Ch.+5+Festivals+-+Darcy

//**﻿**// //**MASQUERADES**//
 * Masquerades are held in accordance with the community native calendars during festivals, annual festivities, burial rites and other social gatherings.
 * The masks represent dead relatives and images of deities
 * Masquerades used to be for maintaining peace and order and primarily used for law enforcement agents
 * The whole village would be there and they would go up to each other and expose any of their bad habits or crimes. For example if one hurt somebody else or cheated on his/her spouse, these would be revealed to the people. This was effective in keeping up with tradition and values in the community.
 * In the 20th century, masquerades became more of a cultural entertainment event. Today, they are used for tourism and many people travel to see these traditional, colorful masks.

media type="youtube" key="aTt7vIxWJ2E?fs=1" height="304" width="385" //﻿The Iwa-ji is a cultural festival celebrating the end of a work cycle// //and beginning of another. During the festival the Igbo thank God for a good harvest.//


 * //THE NEW YAM FESTIVAL//**


 * The New Yam Festival is in Igbo land (Southern Nigeria) or among the Igbo and their friends in Diaspora
 * The New Yam Festival marks the beginning of the harvest season for the new yam. This usually is between August and October, but it depends on the community.
 * The New Yam Festival is a celebration and during it they say prayers to God, asking for a good harvest. They also celebrate with cultural dances, and the cooking of yams.
 * Another ritual during this festival is called ritual body wash. It is when a child partakes in the eating and celebrating of the new yam. The belief is that to take in a new thing into the body, it is important to cleanse the body. A new yam should have a clean body, which is ahieved through dedication and purification rituals.
 * Today, the New Yam Festival is celebrated by Igbo people all over the world. They do this to connect to their cultural values and cosmological views, as well as to keep up with their tradition.

"Significance Of New Yam Festival In Igbo Society Of Nigeria And In Diaspora." //Nigerian Village Square//. Web. 04 Nov. 2010. [].

"Igbo - Introduction, Location, Language, Folklore, Religion, Major Holidays, Rites of Passage, Relationships, Living Conditions." //Countries and Their Cultures//. Web. 04 Nov. 2010. [].

//<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Igbo Enugu Guide: Language,culture,traditions,life,people,dictionary,photo,hotels //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">. Web. 04 Nov. 2010. <http://www.igboguide.org/index.php?l=chapter9>.