The Igbos are people with a very high degree of religious inclination. As a people, the majority believe equivocally in "Chineke" God the creator and Almighty Omnipresence, Omnipotent, Omniscience and Omniscient..

Their religious inclination and placing God first in their lives is epitomized through the celebration of a festival called Iri Ji (New yam festival).

This festival is similar to what the Jews celebrate as "the feast of the first fruits". The Americans and Germans name it "Thanksgiving" season. This Festival stands out as most cherished, all important and most revered ceremony. Its spiritual and material connotation to Igbo people can not be over-emphasized. The Yam tuber in Igbo culture is regarded as a male and or chief crop, symbolizing wealth, affluent and prowess. For this reason, it became obvious that it be chosen as an agricultural symbol for a god, a bountiful harvest season and wealth.
for the Igbos living in planet earth the Iwaji is like a jewel of inestimable value. It is beyond definition. During the festival, the igbos normally perform vibrant variation of cultural dances, and the displays and the appearance of Igbo ancestral masks and  many others .

Significance of Iri ji in Stockholm
The relevance of its celebration here in Stockholm is without doubt long overdue. The New Yam Festival is an avenue for the expression of Igbo man's cultural identity in our new cultural and social environment. It serves as a vehicle heralding the arrival of Igbo culture in Diaspora. We are now in a global village, which has ushered in liberty and freedom of cultural expression.