How We Celebrated Festivities in my Generation

By Ogiri John Ogiri

Festive periods came with a plethora of nostalgic expectations in our minds towards them but with great responsibilities on our parents. We looked forward to having new clothes from our parents or any of our loved ones who cared about us.
Although we had "Ej'alekwu" festival and the New Yam festival which were celebrated at different times of the year, one festival we cherished and looked forward to was the Christmas. At least, it was the period during which we ate rice with meat in abundance unencumbered,since we rarely ate some of those Christmas meals on ordinary days. Different animals ranging from cocks (Ob'ugu), sheep (Ala, omlede), goats (éwu, opi) to pigs(ehi, okome), grass cutters (obije) including many other wild animals, usually suffered genocide during this season.
A few days to the D-day, as children,we usually kept our eyes on the village footpaths or the (Ikplogwu) sometimes mounting unsolicited sentry along the roads ready to welcome those coming home from various cities. Some women or big ladies who worked as 'night queens of easy virtues' otherwise called "Aakuna" in the cities also came from Gombe adulterated as "Igwombe" ,Postiskum or "Upetesko" as well as from many other cities such as "Ukaduna" (Kaduna), "Ilagohi" (Lagos), "Upotu" (Portharcourt) and so on equally came home during this period to display their wealth in cash, dried fish,clothes and plates. They usually came with the biggest loaves of bread. In fact, Christmas risked postponement until the "Aakuna" arrived. As soon as we heard the sound of anything that had engines, we would announce. "Oga olé éooo" translated to mean "He or she has come home oo" 
We had the assurance that we would be given bread to share.We continued this welcoming until Christmas when we would stop.
On Christmas day, we would go and bathe in the village stream or river as early as possible, put on our fanciful clothes and went from one compound to another wishing people, specifically the elderly ones and those who usually came from the city to celebrate Christmas in the village,'happy Christmas'. Those who did not have new clothes used their previous Christmas clothes. Sometimes, we made local drums from empty tin-coated containers of Bournvita covered with polythene bags tightly held together by some strings of elastic rubber bands,with the improvised drum sticks made from broom or bamboo sticks. The tips of those sticks had chewed gums skillfully rolled around it to produce ball-point shapes used to beat the drums in order to produce the desired sound. We moved from places to places within our community and beyond, dancing in group. In return, we got money. Some who had no money to give us offered rice and meat.
Several events were usually held on Christmas days by the community; Christmas parties and cultural dance displays. The parties could take place two to three days to Christmas, on Christmas days or even after. However, the one that interested us more was the cultural dance displays. In my immediate community of Ingle Edumoga, these included "Oglinya,Aglima, Ibo among several others.
Ingle is situated just a few kilometre from the Okpokwu Local Government headquarter, Okpoga. It is bordered by Olago, Ollo,Okpoga, Akpodo,Ojapo and Amufu. It consists of nine villages with the people united by the same history and culture. The villages are Ingle-Odidi, Ingle-branch, Ingle-Otanufie (actually housed the popular Omanchala shrine) ,Ingle-Efonugwu, Ingle-Ai-boko (subdivided into Ai-Adungulu, Ai-Oji and Ai-Ongaji), Ingle-Akanama, Ingle-Ai-jogwu and Ai-Iche.
I am from Ai-dungulu under Ingle Ai-boko. It shares a political ward with Okpale under Ingle/Okpale ward.
In my generation,we knew nothing about" father Christmas or Santa Claus " the foreign masquerade. We had no foreign masquerade. What we knew were 'Akatakpa, Ikpoku,Ibo, oglinya masquerades etc. They had more beautiful costumes made up of "omu,achumbu,icha,ubele" a ceremonial sword (Iko) and the mask. The sight of the masquerades as they made entry on to the stage evoked jubilant alarm called "iba" or "oga" from the women who shouted "ogayoooooo" as the masquerade with his fellow dancers performed to the admiration of all and sundry. It should be noted that the traditional dance displays of "Oglinya", "Aglima" and "Ibo" were more commonly associated with burial ceremonies. I am proud to say that I could and still dance Oglinya and Aglima cultural dances with great dexterity.
In my generation, whether it was Ej'alekwu festival, Christmas festival or New Yam festival that was celebrated, one thing was remained obvious. Love expressed in unconditionally selfless sharing of gifts among community members reigned over mutual hatred and personal selfishness. We did not have so much money but we had love enough to obliterate hate. We had a shared sense of community. Individualism was alien to us. Whatever affected your neighbour equally affected you.
In my generation, festive periods provided opportunities for us to show love to others by sharing with them, our food, clothing, water, shelter and by entertaining them. Christmas was actually celebrated both by Christians and pagans.
I cannot afford not to be proud of my generation when love of neighbour still made sense and guided our behaviour.