Kola nut is a revered fruit among the Izzians. Unlike the yorubas pray
with is as all the Igbos do and traditional eat it, in Izzi culture, it is a
very vital part of every ceremony. During traditional marriages for instance,
breaking and praying over kola nuts is an important aspect of the ceremony. The
family of the bride of presents the kola to the visiting family of the groom,
and once presented prayer is said often
by the eldest male member of the family present at the marriage ceremony. Even
when a man receives a private guest in his home, the first thing to offer is
the kola nut, this signifies that the guest is well received . The kola nut is prayed over and the broken up
and eaten. It could be eaten on its own or with groundnut paste or alligator
pepper. This could be followed by drinking of palm wine, brandy, whisky or
such
napps. In modern homes or other alcoholic drinks could be presented.
Among the Izzians , it is an abomination for a woman or girl to break
for kola nut. In an all female gathering, no female would be allowed to pray
over or break a kola nut, rather a young boy could
In a general sense, the kola nut in
Izzi land constitutes a
remarkable social symbol of
hospitality , life, peace, kindness,
good- will, commensality, fraternity, reconciliation and integrity. The kola
is a typical multi – referential social symbol, while the eldest and youngest persons may break and share kola in social gatherings, it is
the exclusive rights of the priest to break kola during Izzi rituals to juju, as is made evident in
iboko
“ the kola nut and palm wine are
jointly used in the Izzi sacrament of igbandu- final reconciliation of man with
God in all disputes or misunderstandings” the unconditional attention given to oji
symbolism much of the Izzi cultural
identity.