Religion is one of the most important things in daily lives; it affects people’s beliefs, the culture and how people behave. This is no exception to literary works either. In the novel, Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe is about a man named Okonkwo who lives in the Umuofia in Africa. The story reveals the lives true lives of African culture during the time of Europeanions invading the country. Throughout the book, religion is brought up many times. It affects the people in the Ibo tribe and helps show the reason why Things Fall Apart was written. Chinua Achebe purpose of writing the novel is to show both the truth and beauty of the ancient Ibo tribes, and he did so by demonstrating the culture’s religion.
In the novel, a part of the religion of Umuofia is their gods. Their gods play a huge role in their culture. The clan throw feasts for their gods to show their appreciation for what these gods have done. One of the major gods that the Ibo
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The tribe has a huge feast that lasts for days. First day is eating a lot of food and the second day is wrestling. They throw this feast because, “It was an occasion for giving thanks to Ani, the earth goddess and the source of all fertility” (23). In their religion, you must celebrate this holiday or the Earth Goddess will make your crops suffer during crop season. The Feast of the New Yam is not the only holiday that the Ibo people celebrate. According to Spirits Incarnate: Cultural Revitalization in a Nigeria Masquerade Festival,
Masquerades are called mmanwu or mmuo ("masked spirits"), and the spiritual aspect of these beings is fundamental to their appearance and performance among Igbo people. Through the agency of the masker who wears the costume, the invisible spirit is made physically tangible. Masquerades may accord honor to virtuous ancestors and shower blessings and abundance on the living. Some also punish miscreants”