MERRY NIGERIAN CHRISTMAS
By: Jola Martins
Tags: Food, Holidays, Christianity, Nigeria, Christmas

MERRY NIGERIAN CHRISTMAS

Christmas is a special Nigerian holiday, It’s more of a celebration of the family than a celebration of Christ. This is the time of the year when families reunite and for me, A time to meet new uncles, aunties, and distant cousins. Every year, I meet at least three new relations with family ties that make no sense but I have learned to nod my head and say nice to meet you. I never have to maintain a relationship with them with a few exceptions so I don’t really mind and there are some that I have never seen since the awkward “meet your cousin, he is the grandchild of great great grandma’s stepsister” introduction.

Christmas morning in a Nigerian household is chaotic, from the loud bonny M. songs to the cries of Chickens that are being slaughtered, visitors’ greetings, family members congratulating each other for seeing another Christmas, loud voices of aunties in the kitchen, and different aromas of spices. Sometimes, I attend Christmas morning service to escape this chaos, and other times I will my mind to enjoy it, even participating.

JOLLOF RICE, COLESLAW, AND CHICKEN.

Cooking starts early before visitors start to stream in. The standard Christmas meal is jollof rice, fried rice, and coleslaw. The traditional meal is pounded yam or poundo yam and soup(egusi, efo, Banga). Christmas is never complete without chicken, the killing of chicken on Christmas morning is a tradition that many Nigerians cherish. There is also a silent competition among neighbors on who will kill the greatest number of chickens and also the fattest chickens. Many Nigerians buy their chicken weeks before Christmas and start grooming them ahead of this holiday. The cries of dying chicken is a source of pride to households, crowds gather in rural neighborhoods to watch and celebrate this activity.

CREDIT(ZIKOKO MAG)

Food is very important in a Nigerian Christmas celebration. Apart from the regulars, families also prepare various delicacies such as pepper soup, puff puff, and other ethnic delicacies. some even go as far as hiring professional chefs or helps to assist in cooking. The biggest pots are used in creating meals that never last the day, food is exchanged among families in the neighborhood even though they cook the same things. The exchange of food is a very important Nigerian tradition, I particularly look forward to giving my Muslim neighbors a generous amount of food and drinks to encourage generosity with the ram during salah. Food is also given to the poor in the neighborhood.

The celebration is not complete without fireworks and knockouts. The noise from this is something I don’t look forward to, I’m terrified of these explosives as they are very dangerous. The memory of my cousin’s burnt leg one Christmas is etched in my brain and I stay away from them. Walking on Christmas day is an extreme sport if you are scared of fireworks but the noise they create helps you know which areas to avoid. The government has also banned fireworks in some states but it’s a tradition people are not willing to let go off and it’s easy to deter since no one enforces this law.

The noise from music and crowds cheering on dancing children is also something that comes with Christmas, every street corner is filled with people dancing to loud music and mini parties spring up on every street, and sometimes more than one party in a street. It’s a very interesting sight and fosters a spirit of community, this is something peculiar about Christmas in Nigeria. Street carnivals are also something to look forward to, the youths in the community come together to plan amazing street parties, they tax residents and use the money to provide music, food, drinks, and different gifts for everyone. Pageants are also organized, the carnival lasts all day and night till bloody fights disperse the crowd, you can always count on arguments of drunken men which leads to knife fights and sometimes gunshots to disperse the noisy crowd.

The weeks before Christmas are some of the most chaotic weeks in Nigeria, the traffic in cities like Lagos where I live is unimaginable. Nothing prepares you for that kind of traffic even when you experience it every year. Moving around during this period is a nightmare for road users and commercial vehicles hike their prices which leads to an increase in foodstuff. Interstate travelers also experience insane traffic which is terrible as traveling is an important part of Christmas. Many Nigerians travel to their villages for the holiday.

The market scene is very chaotic at this time of the year, foot traffic is just as bad as road traffic. shopping during this period is not for the weak as everyone comes out to buy Christmas outfits, decorations, and food items. Nigerian children look forward to Christmas to show off their clothes, these clothes must be new and trendy and children with the best outfits earn a bragging right. Children without new outfits dread Christmas so many Nigerian parents go above and beyond to provide new clothes for their wards. Children also visit different neighbors to show off their clothes and collect cash gifts from adults. This is the part of Christmas I loved the most as a child, I would save up and spoil myself with anything my parents did not get me.

The dictionary defines “aunty” as the sister of your mom or dad or the wife of an uncle but Nigerian aunties are older women that come around your family regardless of blood relations. Parties bring Nigerian aunties together and Christmas is not an exception. Nigerian aunties are a special breed, Always Ready to step into the shoes of your mother in her absence. They come with gossip, laugher, and gifts. They can be annoying and overbearing but their generous nature excuses this nature till you get older and have no need for their gifts.

Christmas comes with a lot of chores, from assisting in the kitchen to serving guests and cleaning up after all the entertainment. This is the part of Christmas I hate, I always find ways to avoid doing chores but the chores last for days so there is no escaping it especially with the preparation of the new year’s celebration swinging in immediately.

Nigerian Christmas is one of the best holidays, there is no gingerbread or gifts under trees or socks but our version of Christmas celebration remains undefeated. Our adaptation of carols, food, and sense of community is why Christmas in Nigeria will forever be special. In challenging times like this when we question if celebrating Christmas is worth it with all that has happened in recent times, we must remember the happiness that comes with the season and the sense of community that the holiday fosters. Maybe Santa will gift us good leadership, maybe not but our unity and resilience will always be our greatest gift.

MERRY NIGERIAN CHRISTMAS.