Origin and Significance of The Bekwara New Yam Festival

ByEngr. Emmalex

The Bekwara Festival is celebrated on the 1st of September, annually. The Bekwara New Yam Festival is the traditional festival of the people of Bekwarra. The Bewkara people are found in the Northern part of Cross River State in the Southern part of Nigeria.

The Bekwara New Yam Festival is a festive period where all sons and daughters of Bekwara both far and near return home to celebrate the new yam festival.

why we celebrate the new yam festival as asked and being answered by every Bekwarrian is that yam is the mother of all crops.

It is believed among the bekwarrian that the yam is the mother of all crops, hence you become a man once you owned a yam farm and a yam barn in the Bekwara community.

Though this Yam barn is not only observed in Bekwara, other communities in cross River state also value it, especially the Ugep people who have it as a culture.

Significance of Bekwara New Yam Festival

The significance of the Bekwarra New Yam Festival cannot be over-emphasized as yam cannot be eaten by anybody born of bekwarra both at home And in the diaspora, until the new yam is tested, blessed, and sacrificed to the gods of the land during the Bekwara New Yam Festival..

Before the Festival, no one is to harvest or eat any new yam in the community until after the New yam festival has been celebrated.

Anyone found eating new yam when the new yam festival has not been celebrated will be committing what is known as a “Felony”.

The festival takes more than one week but the grand finale is always in the evening at “Abouchiche” which is the headquarters of Bekwara Local Government Area.

Distinguished personalities, politicians, chiefs, comedians, and musicians are always invited and awards are given to the best yam harvested of the year, the strongest wrestler of the year, the most beautiful male and female maiden of the year, and many other prizes.