In the Ho traditional area, the Yam Festival, which is celebrated every September, is associated with the market god, Hosi. In the past, special days were set aside during the year on which farming activities were prohibited. This was to allow Mother Earth who, the festival is closely linked with, to regain her fertility. Mother Earth and Hosi are both symbols of fertility in the Ewe land and both are remembered during the Yam festival.
Like other Ewe yam festivals, it starts with Nubabla (the tying of herbal leaves). The festival has two aspects, with regards to its openness: private and public. The private aspect covers rituals associated with the gods which are sacred; the public aspect is concerned with social and family unity and involves everyone interested. The private aspect is branded by a special ritual of Nubabla, literally, the tying of herbal leaves.