ARA NA ỌMA Tradition and Mothers’ Day celebration among the Igbo: the case of Ihiala Clan of Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines the Ara na Oma tradition and the Mother’s Day celebration among the Igbo, with particularfocus on Ihiala town in Anambra State in south-east Nigeria. The Ara na Ọma tradition was instituted by the traditional society in recognition of the worthwhile virtues of women as homemakers (odozi akụ), peacemakers, and exploiters of their environment through interaction with the forces of nature. It was a celebration instituted to honor women for their varying contributions to the development of society. The celebration was a prominent feature of social development in many parts of Igboland in the pre-colonial period. Ara na Ọma began to lose its importance during the colonial period as fewer and fewer people participated in the celebration. It has almost disappeared from Igbo social life in contemporary times, except for the presentation of gifts to grandmothers when their daughters give birth to their first children in some Igbo communities. The paper uses mainly oral tradition and insights obtained from secondary sources to establish the nature of the Ara na Ọma tradition and celebration and its significance in Igbo society in the pre-colonial and colonial periods. It concludes that contemporary society has a lot to learn from traditional practices such as Ara na Ọma.

Keywords: Matrilineal, Feminism, Cultural Heritage, Duality, Complementarity