Achebe implies that clinging to old traditions and an unwillingness to change may contribute to their downfall. Achebe does not pass judgement on the point of view of indigenous tribes, but he illustrates the kinds of circumstances that could make things fall apart
The Feast of the New Yam
An occasion for giving thanks to Ani, the earth goddess and the source of all fertility. On the last night before the festival, yams of the old year were all disposed of by those who still had them. The new year must begin with tasty, fresh yams and not the shriveled and fibrous crop of the previous year. Yam foo-foo and vegetable soup was the chief food in the celebration. (Chapter 5)
Bride Price Ritual
This is a ritual in which the groom's family pays the bride's family in turn for the bride's hand in marriage. The groom's family presents a bundle of sticks to the bride's family. This represents the bags of cowries that will be paid to the bride's family. They exchange the bundle of sticks in order to decide the price that will be paid. The groom's family must pay for the bride because she provides the husband with children and a well cared for home. (Chapter 8)
• Obierika negotiates Ekueke’s marriage. Daughters were sold to suitable suitors and the price would be negotiated through discussion and the ritual of passing sticks, representing numbers, usually between the bride’s family and the groom’s relatives
Isa-Ifa Ceremony
The Isa-Ifa ceremony is the final marriage ritual that will determine whether or not the bride has been faithful to her groom during their courtship. This ceremony would bring together the women of the family to determine the faithfulness of the bride. The bride holds a hen in her hand and the women circle around her. They ask her various questions relating to her faithfulness and purity. The bride swears her answers on the staff of her father. When finished, the father of the bride slits the throat of the hen and lets the blood drip onto the staff.
Igbo rituals and ceremonies are important in all aspects of Obierika’s life, such as the isa-ifi ceremony
Egwugwu Ceremony
The egwugwu ceremony is held when a dispute takes place between members of the community. The community gathers in the village and waits for the gong to sound. When the gong sounds, the nine masked spirits, the egwugwu, enter from the egwugwu house. Each of the nine egwugwu represent a village of the clan. The leader, Evil Forest, leads the trial in order to resolve the conflict and understand both sides. Then, the nine egwugwu return to the egwugwu hut to determine the verdict. (Chapter 10)
Funerals
Funerals are a time of celebration for the Ibo people. Joy is brought to the funeral with drums, guns and cannons, and extravagant decorations. Often, an ancestral spirit, egwugwu, will appear from the underworld just before the person is buried. The funeral is viewed as a time of closure and celebration for the long life lived. (Chapter 13)
• Igbo traditions, rituals and ceremonies are important in all aspects of village life and affect many of the characters, such as when Okonkwo violates the Week of Peace and later when the family is exiled following Okonkwo’s accidental killing of Ezeudu’s son
• the patriarchal society allows men to have more than one wife, such as Okonkwo who has three, and to father numerous children
• many characters are affected or governed by the directives of Agbala, The Oracle of the Hills and Caves, who is influential in all aspects of Umuofian life and responsible for ordering Ikemefuna’s death. The Oracle is based on the Oracle of Awka who was very powerful in the nineteenth century.
when Okonkwo is banished, Obierika questions the severity of the seven-year exile. Obierika ponders about Igbo culture and traditions, such as when his twin children were taken to the forest. He is more open-minded about change
when Okonkwo beats his wife during the ‘Week of Peace’, the village fear that this violation could jeopardise their crops for that year. At other times, domestic violence was commonplace and there was widespread disregard for women’s rights in Umuofian society. Women were marginalised and subservient
• ceremonies and rituals are important in every aspect of the villagers’ lives: eating, drinking, marriage, war, religion. Umuofia’s ‘Priests and medicine men were feared’ by other tribes