I never saw it coming that I could accept a 7 days writing challenge about Christmas and the festive periods, but life is solely about the Past, Present, and the Future, you never know what is coming. That is why the elderly says, “He who falls in December, can be up and doing in January”
In church, we were told by Pastors that Christ only is the message of Christmas, because He was born in December, so it is a celebration of a Risen King – Jesus! Even though a large majority of Africans don’t believe in Jesus, one thing they accept is the love and light that comes with the celebration of Christmas; talk about how friends and family share their foods, people who are far away return to where they call a home, and lots more.
How is Christmas Celebrated in Africa?
I ask myself, and a couple of friends across the continent, how they celebrate Christmas and what ideas fills the air during this festive period, their several opinions draw me to a conclusion, which I like to share in the upcoming lines, that celebrating Christmas in the African way is a mirror of cultures, Traditions and Joy.
My Experience!
In Nigeria, during the week of Christmas, the youths assembled themselves to organize Carnivals, tagged in the name of the street, community, zone, and the entire town or in a larger form the city. Like in my own case, we do Ogbonmo Youth Carnival, while some do Igboroko youth carnival, in a bigger form, you see the Owo Youth Carnival. Such an elaborate festivals of light, joy, culture and traditions.
The youth walk and dance around while blasting music from loud speakers mounted on cars, trucks. Walking and dancing in twos and groups, we do have a stop and rest session, where we resort to drinking cokes, Fanta, and other soft drinks, while the matured ones drink what we then known as beers. As at that time, I am not accustomed to drinking Whiskey, if not, I can’t imagine myself taking a coke!
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| Posing to a picture at an holiday in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria |
After dancing round the community we return back to designated return point, where we all celebrate the event in a more coordinated form, persons get to collect gifts, in the form of “the most jovial personality of the year” and other gifts. At night we held our night party, on the fliers you will know the starting time, but you never know when it will end- ‘Till Mama Calls’. Oh, what a memory!
On Christmas eve, a certain household is known with the tradition of bringing out Television sets for seeing movies and playing music, music such as Yahoozee by Olu Maintain, Dbanj music, as at that time new cats like Burnaboy and Davido where still learning the acts and arts of music. There is a certain Christmas where a song took the center stage, the song is titled ‘Kerewa’ by Zule Zoo.
This song has a lyrics of a woman who is married but have another man who satisfy her G-spot when the husband is away. She has a son who reveals all that has happened when the father was away. This song put half of Nigerian children into trouble because of the style of dance created alongside with the song. Please allow me to smile, here!😁😂
The best part of the song is the chorus and it goes thus;
The man just dey do kerewa
Ewa kere wako
Kerewa, ewa kere wawa *2
With cold in the night, we will sit on that spot seeing movies, and stand to dance intermittently. As the time counts, some go home to rest, others go home to take one or two things and comeback, anything around 3-4AM participants will go home to meet their mother who at this time be frying the Chickens, the Turkeys as well as preparing the Christmas food for the family.
When it is 7AM – 8AM families go in their colorful attires to Church, to praise the Lord for seeing another Christmas. Family thanksgiving will be the order of the service, appreciating the goodness of God, farmers appreciating God for a blossom farming year with bountiful harvest and youth coming together to celebrate as well.
That year, as kids we were always looking forward to an expedited Church service, because we want to rush home to be served on a table of Chicken and Rice, sometimes with plantain, and to further go visiting homes as early as possible, because the more home you visit, the more money you get and the more meat you eat.
As we celebrate this year Christmas, it is a memory to behold that, the present world has moved on from the age at which the message of Christmas was pure love, affections, and culture done with a sincerity of hearts in light.
This is an apology blog post, begging each persons, families and Government to help return our beloved Christmas as we use to know it. Policies should be drafted to soften the pains of the people, Laws should be formulated in such a way that help the working class to enjoy the benefits of working.
Meanwhile, Parents should allow their children live their best lives, one of socializing with others. And we all together must try to reduce the class system in the society.
This is my second inputs in the ongoing writing challenge with My friend from Kenya Empress of Bookingham, I do hope you share your experience with me in the comment section, and promise you will come back tomorrow for another lovely story.
Happy Christmas in advance, friends!
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