Otite Anam – Final Reflections
My children… I have taken you on a long journey, telling you the meaning and the significance of our great Otite Anam Festival.
Okey, my son, you asked me an important question—whether Otite Anam is a pagan festival. Listen well: Otite Anam is not exclusively pagan, and no one is compelled to perform fetish sacrifices for it to be meaningful.
Otite Anam is, above all, a festival of thanksgiving to God for blessing His people with a bountiful harvest. On that day, each person is expected to thank God in their own way, according to their faith.
If a traditionalist wishes to bring out his okposi to thank the ancestors, let him do so. If a Christian chooses to go to church to offer prayers and thanksgiving, let him go. And if a Muslim, Buddhist, Confucian—anyone—wants to thank God in the way their faith accepts, they are free to do so.
Do you know, my children, that Christmas and Easter were once pagan festivals? But through the wisdom of Christianity and the process of inculturation, they were transformed. Christmas is no longer the feast of the sun god, and Easter is no longer the festival of the goddess Ishtar—they became festivals of Christ.
In the same way, I urge you: do not abandon this noble Otite Anam Festival on the altar of religion. Instead, uphold it and make it more colorful! Bring back the wrestling matches, the masquerade performances, and the other joyful side attractions. We must restore the ivenru to the eldest man in each Anam community.
Remember this well—it is the eldest man in the community, not the traditional ruler, who first celebrates Otite Anam. And it is the community’s duty to provide him with the gifts he will use to offer prayers and sacrifices on behalf of everyone.
Ivenru is the respect and homage a child pays to the elder.
On Otite Anam Day, every child must pay homage to their parents. The gift can be yams, a goat or fowl, fish, clothing, drinks, and most importantly, kola nuts—which the father will use to pray for the child. If the father has passed away, the homage goes to the eldest son of the family. It is a duty for every true Anam son or daughter. Ah! It is a great disappointment for a parent not to receive a gift from their children on Otite Anam Day.
Thank you for listening, my children. If you have enjoyed the Otite Anam series, share this story so it will not die.
Kàchifọ.
Also check out other Festivals in Asaba, Parties in Asaba, Sports events in Asaba.
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