The Ogwu Ekpeye otherwise known as Ogwu Adaunwo is the new yam festival in the calendar of the Ekpeye Ethnic Nation, Rivers State which is located in the Southern part of Nigeria.
It is an age long festival that is annually celebrated before new yams are eaten and is done in honour of Ekpeye first daughters. The festival is held in high esteem and is celebrated with funfair amidst cultural displays, folklore, visitations among other traditional rites.
Activities for ogwu ekpeye
Folklore; The festival starts with folklore story telling, the folklore night also known as story night is the time when stories are told through oral tradition, folklore songs are not exempted.
Uchi enwu; The folklore night is followed by a ritual known as uci enwu, this ritual is carried out to cleanse the land from evil spirits before the new yam festival. After this process the ogwu ekpeye begins properly.