By Anayo Okoli, Vincent Ujumadu, Ugochukwu Alaribe, Chimaobi Nwaiwu, Chinedu Adonu, Chinonso Alozie & Steve Oko IN Igbo land, various ...
By Anayo Okoli, Vincent Ujumadu, Ugochukwu Alaribe, Chimaobi Nwaiwu, Chinedu Adonu, Chinonso Alozie & Steve Oko
IN Igbo land, various communities usher in the farming
season with one form of celebration/festival or the other as a way of thanking
God for the previous season and praying for a better farming year.
In Anambra State, where many communities are agrarian with
no fewer than 70 per cent of their population engaging in one form of farming
activity or the other, some of them have their unique ways of ushering in a new
farming season. In the riverine communities regarded as the food basket of the
state, they celebrate the beginning and the end of the season.
These communities located in Ogbaru, Anambra West, Anambra
East and Ayamelum local government areas, begin the farming season around
November, usually after the annual flooding had receded. Upland farming
communities are found in Orumba North and Orumba South; Oyi, Awka North and
Ihiala local government areas and the farming season in some of the communities
does not begin until the rains begin, usually towards the end of March and
beginning of April.
In Orumba South Council, some communities celebrate what
they call Erichaa aba olu, which literally translates to the last
celebration/festival before new farming season commences. Some neighbouring
Abia communities also celebrate it.
In fact, the first rain is usually celebrated in these
farming communities. Mr. Ossai Igwegbe, a farmer at Agwe Osomala in Ogbaru
Local Government Area of Anambra State, said although there is no formal
celebration or festival before the commencement of farming season, the joy of
tilling the ground and planting yams and other crops knows no bound. “After
harvesting crops around July/August, everybody goes on some kind of vacation
until November when another farming season begins.
There is no ceremony before we begin the season, but there
is that feeling that brings joy to every farmer. “Watching the crops sprout and
tending them bring enormous happiness in the community such that after
returning from the farm, people gather with bottles of dry gin and play some
music to express their happiness. There is the belief that while the farmers
are making merry, the planted crops are also happy inside the ground.
“This kind of celebration can continue until the period of
harvest when various communities celebrate their annual new yam festival. The
way we do it at Osomala is also the way it is done in most riverine
communities,” Igwegbe explained. The paramount ruler of Isuochi ancient
kingdom, Eze Godson Ezekwesiri, said that the Isuochi people mark the beginning
of every new farming season with special prayer and merriment.
According to the monarch, the ceremony generally known as
Erie abaaolu, however, has different names in various communities in the
kingdom. According to him, each traditional ruler will invite members of his cabinet
to his palace where serious prayers are made for divine protection of his
subjects in the new farming season.
The ceremony is usually held between the month of January
and February every year before the onset of the new farming year. Ezekwesiri
also explained that the ceremony is followed up with heavy merriment after the
prayers at the traditional ruler’s palace.
“In-laws are usually invited to the merriment and feast that
follow the prayers and on the next day, people go to their farms for the new farming
season.” The royal father said that during the ceremony, prayers are offered
for a bountiful harvest for the new farming year. But the South-East
Coordinator of Cassava Farmers Association, and
Traditional Ruler of Oriendu Autonomous community in Umuahia
North Local Government Area, Eze Philip Ajomuiwe, said there is no special
ceremony that heralds new farming season in his community. The number one
cassava farmer in the South-East explained that what usually obtains was that
he would gather his subjects to educate them on the new variety of cassava and
the new techniques from research institutions. He said after the sensitization,
farmers embark on farming activities without any fanfare.
The case is however different in Obibi Uratta community in
Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State, where Onwa Oru Uratta, must be
celebrated before the commencement of new farming season. According to the
former President-General of the community, Sir Ephraim Ahumibe, Onwa Oru
Uratta, is an annual activity that ushers the people into the new farming
season which usually takes place in February.
He said that Onwa Oru Uratta celebration takes place at Obi
Uratta and neighbouring communities of Owerri, Egbu and Awaka are involved in
the event. Regarded as a period of peace amongst brothers and sisters, it is
expected that nobody quarrels, fights or makes any trouble that would require
the invitation of the police.
“We celebrate the Onwa Oru Uratta before the farming season
and within this period, there will be no quarrel, fighting or people inviting
the police to settle quarrels. People are expected to be peaceful.
Anyone who goes against any of these rules within this
period will be visited by the elders and punishment usually is meted out on
such person, in form of fines like a he-goat or even the gods may come for the
person for desecrating the land and a lot of things are involved. “Like I said,
the Onwa Oru Uratta is what we celebrate before we begin the farming season and
without doing it, there is nothing like farming season.
You see our brothers and sisters from Owerri, Egbu and Awaka
come together in February for this ceremony. On the day of the Onwa Oru Uratta,
the whole of Uratta community will converge on Obi Uratta, including the first
daughters. It is an age-long practice, a kind of prayer for a successful
farming season,” Ahumibe explained. Ifitedunu community in particular and Dunukofia
Council Area in general of Anambra State, usher in new farming season with Ede
Opoto and Akpu Okochi festivals respectively.
Ede Opoto is celebrated in March. According to a highly
respected community leader in Ifitedunu, Chief Ozoh Anaekwe, the people of
Ifitedunu and Dunukofia in general do not play with these celebrations. Anaekwe
said that after the celebrations, everybody knows that they are going to
labour, adding that the happiness of the celebrations lead the people to
labour, because farming involves labour and sweat; you go to the forest and
farm.
“It is a celebration that everyone in the community uses to
prepare for farming season and its importance is that after the celebrations,
you prepare your mind to go to the farm to work because farming involves hard
work. “You have to eat well during the month of the celebration; you will be
happy, you exchange gifts, because you know you are going to enter into labour.
It is celebrated by everybody in Ifitedunu community and Dunukofia as a whole.
“The youths go from one village to another with their masquerades; the elders
celebrate their own by exchanging gifts with people and fellow elders. The
women visit their friends and colleagues, then those who give people gifts can
get the rewards. The person you give a gift today during the celebration may
give you some parcel of land to farm on once the farming activities commence.
That is one of the preparations for farming season. I can do
good to you today, tomorrow you may choose to reward me with some parcels of
land for farming. “For every leader of the family like the Diokpa, the first
born of the family, one of the first things he does during this season of Ede
Opoto celebration is to bring out kola nuts and call his younger ones or family
members and offer prayers and thank God for good life and ask God to bless them
with good harvest in the new farming season.
They also pray for God’s protection while waiting for the
time of harvest, months after farming. They also pray for the neighbours and
invited friends. “There is another one called Akpu Okochi or dry season
cassava, it is one of the two festivals we celebrate before the farming season.
One is Ede Opoto and the second is Akpu Okochi.”
On why there is no celebration for yam, Chief Anaekwe said:
“Yam is the head of all the crops in Igbo land and synonymous with farming in
Igbo land; you do not call its name anyhow because it is revered in Igbo land.
Like God is revered, you don’t call His name anyhow. As we accord so much
respect to God, we also accord a lot of respect to yam in Igbo land. We are not
comparing our respect for God to be equal to the one we give yam, but just to
illustrate how we respect yam in Igbo land;’it is the king of all crops.”
For the people of Anam in Anambra West Local Government
Area, they have Otee Anam celebration/festival. A youth leader in Anam, Odikpo
Madubueze said: “In my community, we have the most respectful celebration
called Otee Anam during which we thank God for a bumper harvest in the year and
pray for the new farming season.
“This is however, celebrated every Sunday that falls into
Eke Market day in August. Every Anam person prepares Nsala soup with either
fresh or dry fish and pounded yam to eat and give to invited friends. “Anam
daughters who are married in and outside the community also pay homage to their
fathers with gift items including four kola nuts, clothes, wine, fish and
whatever gifts they can afford.”
Amufie autonomous community, Igbo-Eze North Local Government
Area of Enugu State ushers in a new farming season by appeasing the land before
the first rain of the year. A community leader, Chief Benedict Adonu said that
the community prepares for farming season with the oldest man consulting a
soothsayer to know what would be used for sacrifice to the deity before the
farming season.
He explained that during the sacrifice, the community would
gather to pray for a better farming year, fruitful harvest and blessings in the
land, saying that the significance of the sacrifice is for good outing in the
new season. He, however, said that Christianity has changed everything and such
sacrifice before the farming season has stopped.
“There has been a deity being consulted and a sacrifice
performed to appease the ancestors before rainy season to make the land fertile.
It is an annual sacrifice which is decided by the oldest man in our community
on what to use to appease the land and who will perform the sacrifice on behalf
of the community. The sacrifice normally takes place in the month of February
when the world is expecting the first rain. “At the end of it, there will be
fruitful harvest.
We witness a change in crops any year such sacrifice takes
place. But Christianity had taken over the land and such sacrifice has
stopped”, he said. A yam farmer in Ntighauzo community in Obingwa council area
of Abia State, Chief Luke Onyenma, said no community festival or celebration
takes place before new farming season, but individual farmers pray for better
farming year. He disclosed that such prayers to seek blessings for the farming
season usually take place when farmers are about to plant new crops for the
season.
According to him, farmers believe in the efficacy of prayers
that God will bless their crops and efforts for a bountiful harvest. “In my
community, you clear the bush, pray to God to bless your crops. We don’t hold a
festival to celebrate a new farming season; rather individual farmers pray to
God to seek His blessings for a better farming year.
Such prayers usually take place when farmers are about to
clear bushes and plant crops for a new farming season. “At the farming season
when we harvest our crops, some of us who farm yams usually celebrate our
harvest, thanking God for granting us a good harvest”, explained.
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