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drrionelli (m)
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In the Christian world, the story of Christmas is, indeed, universal. However, different people in different lands celebrate things differently.
How is Christmas celebrated in Nigeria? Traditions? Customs? If you wish to post pictures, please do so.
Thank you--and a very Merry Christmas! (BTW, how does one wish a "Merry Christmas!" in Igbo? Hausa? Yoruba? Other languages of Nigeria?)
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ikamefa (f)
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in yoruba its: e kuu odun, ekuu iyedun, odun a yabo fun wa oh Or e kuu keresimesi  |
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drrionelli (m)
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Ah, the ever-delightful ikamefa! So very good to encounter you during the holiday season--or any time! And, as usual, you provide me with that which I seek. Bless you, my dear! (Aussi, mon amie, je voudrai vous dire <<Joyeux Noel!>>) Surely, there are traditions, customs, songs, foods and other such things which are associated with Christmas in Nigeria. Please, share some of these with those of us who, like myself, have yet to experience Christmas in Nigeria. My word-- four different ways to say it in Yoruba! Such an expressive language! |
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Iyanlax
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Too funny.  |
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kojeiwa (m)
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The benin people wilL say E SE LO GBE
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BlackMamba (m)
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Just like Thanksgiving in terms of family reunion, but with extra funfare.
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anusule (m)
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jollof rice and fried chicken is prepared as early as 5am and stored in a cooler(warmer) till the afternoon for consumption. many would stay at home watching a gospel video that's if there's power supply or if they have a power generator. |
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omoge (f)
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christmas Eve, stew is made. start from the mid of month, family go shop for clothes, or stop by the tailor/fashion designer to collect your latest style. morning of 24, you go to sasa (a good market for stew stuffs) to shop for tomatoes, atarodo, tatashe, tin tomatoes, oil and onions  father goes off to bodija for the live goat/agric fowl, tolontolon or cow. mother goes off to bodija for the Uncle ben rice and asorted stuffs 24 evening, while dad busy killing the fowl/goat, mother starts clean the tomatoes, tatashe and onion/rodo once done cleaning, oya off to engine for blending then she boils it till thicken. meanwhile, mother collects all the ngwogwo for peppersoup the kids busy surrounding dad looking for little meat to roast. if it is fowl, the kids are given the job of removing the feather some kids get themselves busy with knockout, bisco etc lots of christmas music , etc. after cleaning of the fowl/goat/cow meat, cooking is next, olalala the aroma is more than words can say once the meat is well cooked, ororo (vegetable oil) is place on fire for frying of the cooked meat. next is making the real stew, nothing like christmas rice in nigeria always delicious. christmas eve service at about 8pm or so. it continues till midnight depending on when the service started. once sevice is ended everyone go in peace the service is ended but some start the fun beating drum and stopping over any known members home. ha, fun plenty o. some people go home right after service. early morning on 25th, mother start cooking rice, warming the large pot of stew. bean is also cooked some guys love their rice with beans. kids start cleaning the whole place, re arrange everywhere in the house. at 7am, get ready for church if possible. if not, stay in the kitchen with mother and watch her cook + run errands. once everything is ready, most share food with other nearby neighbors. come see wacking and tasting. then off to shower and dressing up with willy willy makeup kids always funny later during the day, ojuju start coming out and you watch different fanfare from different tribes my little childhood memory |
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D-reloaded (f)
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what happened to Banga!
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omoge (f)
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thanks that's also part of it. |
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deejay1 (m)
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oooo man xmas in nigeria is reli fun, !!!!!!!!!!!! even before xmas day fireworks (knockout/banger) go dey fly over your head ( gd fun) n everyone go don buy their xmas attire (gone r d days) 2 be ready 4 xmas day N on xmas day evey1 go av a gd wash n get into their attires!!!!!!!! xmas day u go chop (jollof rice) yh till your stomach full. n in da evening we go visit Xtended families, amusement park lota stuffs 2 do after xmas nah d fun jst start!!!!! we go blow knockout till new yr day!!!!!!! n on newy years eve ooo dare na when da show starts n prob finish sometymes ooo gush we go blow knockout lk crazy in bashoru (winners!) them police 4 winners dey crazy ooooooo n from bashorun we go Gate (Agodi) man lv d knockout fun alot we go go into Methodist Agodi n av a crazy knockout competition with them garage boiz great fun! after den every farmer returns home from his farm! we jst drive home n play snooker till lk 6am when everybody is reli tired n on da 1st all da family( even people u avnt c before or uv seen 4 ages) gather @ da family house n party! gone r da days neway. bt here LND its sht on xmas day their roads r dry n it basically shit (its their culture am nt criticizin den oooooo )
Up nigeria!!!!!!!!!!!
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Nwaka77 (f)
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christmas Eve, stew is made. start from the mid of month, family go shop for clothes, or stop by the tailor/fashion designer to collect your latest style. morning of 24, you go to sasa (a good market for stew stuffs) to shop for tomatoes, atarodo, tatashe, tin tomatoes, oil and onions father goes off to bodija for the live goat/agric fowl, tolontolon or cow. mother goes off to bodija for the Uncle ben rice and asorted stuffs 24 evening, while dad busy killing the fowl/goat, mother starts clean the tomatoes, tatashe and onion/rodo once done cleaning, oya off to engine for blending then she boils it till thicken. meanwhile, mother collects all the ngwogwo for peppersoup the kids busy surrounding dad looking for little meat to roast. if it is fowl, the kids are given the job of removing the feather some kids get themselves busy with knockout, bisco etc lots of christmas music , etc. after cleaning of the fowl/goat/cow meat, cooking is next, olalala the aroma is more than words can say once the meat is well cooked, ororo (vegetable oil) is place on fire for frying of the cooked meat. next is making the real stew, nothing like christmas rice in nigeria always delicious. christmas eve service at about 8pm or so. it continues till midnight depending on when the service started. once sevice is ended everyone go in peace the service is ended but some start the fun beating drum and stopping over any known members home. ha, fun plenty o. some people go home right after service. early morning on 25th, mother start cooking rice, warming the large pot of stew. bean is also cooked some guys love their rice with beans. kids start cleaning the whole place, re arrange everywhere in the house. at 7am, get ready for church if possible. if not, stay in the kitchen with mother and watch her cook + run errands. once everything is ready, most share food with other nearby neighbors. come see wacking and tasting. then off to shower and dressing up with willy willy makeup kids always funny later during the day, ojuju start coming out and you watch different fanfare from different tribes my little childhood memory Thank you for this post. You made me relive my fond childhood memories from back then. |
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Jezzy (f)
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All these Christmas stories are makig me homesick.
Christmas like I remember started like around the ending ending of October when all the radio stations would be playing Christmas music,the closer it got to Christmas the more frequently they are played.I grew up in the East so Christmas is always associated in my mind with harmattan season.It would be cold,dry and dusty.In the apartment complex where we lived while growing up,almost every family went to their village to celebrate so the 'watchman' used to be compensated well before hand so he'D keep an eye out on our property.People started leaving as soon as school closed for the holidays and the last to go often left around the 23rd or 24th.I remember that at that time our neighbor and my mum would buy a big basket of tomatoes to share.On the way back to our village-which was like an hour away-we saw other cars loaded with belongings and happy children and sometimes an slightly open trunk so the chicken and torotoro could breathe.Lol.
Anyway,by the time we got to the village other cousins would be there or be on the way and it was always a happy reunion for all the cousins and proud grandparents.All the cousins came together and compared clothes,money and stashes of knockout/banger.As soon as we were done greeting everybody, we hit the stream,maybe with little cans to convince the adults we weren't gong to just play.We always swam till we turned blue in the face and red in the eyes.
Christmas eve,the cooking started.Meat was tenderized and cooked in preparation for frying on Christmas morning.On Christmas eve night,we went to church for the service armed with knockouts/bangers.And even while we were in church we could hear others blasting away the knockouts/bangers,we would become restless.As soon as service was over,we went outside blasting our knockouts/bangers away to the chagrin of the adults.When we eventually stopped running wild and were coralled by the adults,we went home and continued with the knockouts/bangers under adult supervision.If we ran out,doting uncles and aunts and grandparents replenished our stash.
On Christams day gon gon,the sweet aroma of stew and meat awakened us.The adults would get the older children to help get the younger ones ready for Christmas day service.Before we left for church,we had something light like bread and tea saving our appetites for the feast to come.We went to church dressed in our brand new Christmas clothes,shoes and freshly braided hair for the girls or smart crew-cut for the guys and no matter how great service was we itched to go home.Whenever service ended,we were made to greet more relatives bfore we went home.As soon as we got home,we dined on rice and stew,jollof rice,fried rice,chicken,beef,salad,chin-chin,and lots of fanta(who ever thought of calories or sugar then?).The food would not even digest before we began running wild again with other kids.Visitors,relatives were entertained.Carollers came,little dancing girls came,little boys in masquerades came;they were all shown appreciation with money.
Chritsmas Naija style is the bomb.If you haven't experienced it,you should because it does good things to the soul.Sweet memories.
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MP007 (m)
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food, church service and watching the "Jesus" movie,  |
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eagleroland (m)
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Drrionelli, enchante', parley-vous francais?
Je parle et ecris francais bien.
Christmas is real fun in Nigeria but it is enjoyed better as a kid. For adults who are Christains, the season makes more meaning. But it is basically a season for reunion, reconciliation and merry-making.
Are you eyeing a Nigerian?
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mamaput (f)
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to add to that sending of cards. you get so many cards that you can plaster your wall with them . my mum used to tie rope all over the sitting room like washing line and hang all the cards , and other things. we used(thats my dad) will drive off and come back with a big Christmas tree. even or dog used to get a part of the Christmas dish(the bones)
after the church and lunch we will go to the town to see masquerade.the girls with dad and mum in the car. but my brother will go on his own with his friends to get chased by the masquerade.
We never travelled at that time of the year then too many accidents were happening.
The next day it was all about visiting and getting visited.
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coolisaac (m)
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IN HAUSA LANGUAGE, WE USE BARKA DA SALA. THATS ALL.
WHICH MEANS HAPPY CELEBRATION.
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coolisaac (m)
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IN HAUSA LANGUAGE, WE USE BARKA DA SALA. THATS ALL.
WHICH MEANS HAPPY CELEBRATION.
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idupaul
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Most People spend it beliving that thing will be a lot better next year, better jobs ,good health care, low crime rate.less corrupt leaders and much more, but ofcourse they still spend the next christmas wishin for the same again,
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Seun (m)
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I don't think Nigerians are that naive. The only person they expect 'blessings' from is God.
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babadee (m)
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xmas is celeberated by "awon boys" by crashing your crew;s pads one by one, eating and if possible carting away enough goodies and you end the day at mama chika's place for some cold green bottle, lol
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ayomifull (f)
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@omoge thanks a lot you are a darling i can't wait to get home this xmas, xmas is definitely merry merry at home unlike here.
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oziomatv (m)
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nna isi afutaro
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omoge (f)
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@omoge thanks a lot you are a darling i can't wait to get home this xmas, xmas is definitely merry merry at home unlike here.
you are welcome  . it's childhood memories i can imagine bodija, sasa, dugbe etc now. is christmas still the same?? anyone spent christmas in Lagos/ibadan please ans o. those hausa malam at bodija and sasa sure do great business during christmas. i love their groundnut oil walahai, akwai kasuwa fa |
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drrionelli (m)
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This is simply wonderful! Thank you all so very much for sharing your memories and helping a non-Nigerian better know your country and people! It all sounds so interesting! And fun! Christmas in Nigeria seems to be something I'D truly enjoy experiencing, myself. If I may ask, however, would somebody please explain the "boys in masquerade" and the "dancing girls" to me? Are they local performers who go neighborhood to neighborhood? BTW (@oziomatv:) What does "nna isi afutaro" mean? In what language? @babadee: "awon boys"--I'm sure there's more to tell about them! @eagleroland: Oui, monsieur, je parle (et j'ecris, aussi) francais! Mais, ou j'habite, il n'y a pas beaucoup de personnes avec qui je peux parler.  You ask if I'm eyeing a Nigerian. Well, I suppose if I could find the right one! I just find it interesting to know how those in other lands experience things, such as holidays. @D-reloaded: What is "banga"? @omoge: I'm afraid I must ask for a translation of "walahai akwai kasuwa fa"! |
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Tini (m)
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The best and most popular celebration in naija.
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omega25red (m)
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Omoge your post brought tears to my eyes because no matter where else you go or live in this world there is no christmas like the one i used to celebrate when i was a child in Nigeria. Damn being in another man's country is suddenly so hard to take.
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Boondoggle (m)
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Omoge, I am really impressed with your write up. It took me back memory lane. The little addition to the scenario is that no one, and I repeat no one is allowed to cook the jollof rice except mummcy otherwise no one will eat. Mother's hand in cooking xmas & new year rice is unique. And guess what? mum used to tease us with that and we would beg all the way from January till December. Now that we are all even out of the house, we still long for mum's hand when we go home for re-union at xmas. @ Ikamefa, My curiosity has finally got the best of me . , . what is the meaning of "Ikamefa"? Are you "olugbodi" with six fingers or is it "six wicked ones" as in " Ika Mefa". Anyways, enjoy the xmas rice with as many finger as Gos has blessed you with. Did someone mentioned "banga" soup or was that supposed to be BANGER? Shalom  |
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jerrymania (m)
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Booze,booze,booze till day light
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nwando
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omoge that was classical.
The only addition for us with your post would be goat peppersoup complete with towel and the crunchy ears (ngwo ngwo)
My mom would make,jellof,white rice and stew,plantain
she would even bake a cake
Chin chin would have been fried a few days prior
We get to drink bottles and bottles of fanta and coke without asking and you will not be spanked for it.
Everyone is in celebration mode,mom doesn't bother counting the bottles
Christmas in my family like most Igbos is in the village.
Cousins from the north,East and west return and the Lagos ones will be showing off their fancier clothes and dancing moves to us,local Aba and Enugu kids.
some of them lived in face me I face you at Ajegunle but we had no clue.
After eating we walk around the village or ride with parents visiting family and eating some more.
In most houses when you arrive
After the hellos and admiring how tall or womanly you had become
1.They'll come around while you are seated and ask for what you'll drink.
2.then some small saucers arrive with fried meat,chin chin and peanuts
3.Before you could say "Okija",a plate of peppersoup is in your laps
4.Then the grandfinale is the rice usually the reddest and tastiest jollof you've ever eaten with 2 pieces or more of fried meat on top.Kai menenesome aunties will even wrap some take home stuff for us kids. I still remember it all with nostalgia
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ikamefa (f)
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@ topic drrionelli Joyeux noël mon ami  i hope you got the answers to your questions Omoge, I am really impressed with your write up. It took me back memory lane. The little addition to the scenario is that no one, and I repeat no one is allowed to cook the jollof rice except mummcy otherwise no one will eat. Mother's hand in cooking xmas & new year rice is unique. And guess what? mum used to tease us with that and we would beg all the way from January till December. Now that we are all even out of the house, we still long for mum's hand when we go home for re-union at xmas. @ Ikamefa, My curiosity has finally got the best of me . , . what is the meaning of "Ikamefa"? Are you " olugbodi" with six fingers or is it "six wicked ones" as in " Ika Mefa". Anyways, enjoy the xmas rice with as many finger as Gos has blessed you with. Did someone mentioned "banga" soup or was that supposed to be BANGER? Shalom olugbodi yes! banga soup is quite different from banger (fire-works) |
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