How was Christmas and how will the New Year be at your neck of woods?

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Christmas is already behind us and we are eagerly waiting to celebrate the New Year.

My question is: how did you spend Christmas and how will the New Year be?

Charity begins at home, so let me start.

Christmas



When I was a kid, Christmas was a big affair.

As soon as we broke for the Christmas holidays, we went south of the city of Kumasi in Ghana (West Africa) where the colonial administration had housed its British administrators in imposing bungalows niched inside the forested zone.

We fetched bamboo from the bush and left some green mambas dead. Childhood naughtiness.

Back home, we built our “Christmas house” which we covered with thick cartons we got from the Central Business District of Adum West of the city.

At dawn, we rose from our mats in our parents’ apartments and went to continue sleeping in our house in the vacant lot behind the house to candlelight provided by candles we made from our church’s melted candle wax and wick we got from where I don't know anymore.

When the sun began to get hot, we went back home to wash down. Christmas carols floated all around us from radios and rare gramophones (you remember?).

We profited from every occasion to gloat over our new Christmas clothes (still in our parents’ possession till 25th December when we will wear them to church) and biscuits and soft drinks (to be relished on 24th, 25th, 31st December and 1st January).

Nowadays, Christmas is as ordinary as any humdrum day, especially in Lome, Togo, where I live now in the eastern neighboring country of Ghana.

What hasn’t changed is the night Mass people throng to on 24th December and 25th morning. However I stayed home as usual and continued to grade my students’ first term examination papers. This surprises visitors to our home and my wife profits to tell them my favorite wife are papers and books.

Just ask anybody here how they spent Christmas and they’ll tell you with a wry face, “Did anybody spend it? Money is scarce now.” Then they’ll sigh and continue on their way.

New Year


Since I moved here in the early eighties, I realized that they relish the New Year more than Christmas, contrary to Ghana.

What should I expect?

The churches (especially Catholic and Protestant) will be jam-packed for the midnight mass.

At midnight, people feverishly whisper their New Year wishes (soon to be forgotten in the hustle and bustle of life) to the popping of crackers which rent the calm night and light the dark sky in all sorts of colors and patterns.

The drinking spots will blare music to happy customers till dawn. Parties are organized in many homes too where people eat, drink and dance till dawn.Good morning, hangover!

In the morning, the air becomes pleasurable heavy with the smells of sizzling seasoned and roasted meat. The day will be spent eating and drinking to the sounds of loud music.

In my childhood, it was time again to visit family members who fill us up with good food and drinks.

We came back home to fight over the sharing of the money as the elder brother or sister who collected the money would want to have the lion’s share.

All that is gone with the years. Nowadays nobody comes to you if you don’t invite them. Not that they need an invitation. No, that's not how things go here. But the festive occasion has become individual families’ affairs.

The few people who come to exchange greetings with my wife and my kids’ friends will be surprised once more to find me still grading papers as I have quite a lot to hand over in January.

And now it’s your turn to tell us your story.

Akoli

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Recent Comments

26

Thanks for sharing Akoli; it's amazing how things change.

I use to enjoy this time of the year so much, and now I can't wait for it to be over (LOL. ).

For me it is Christmas every day, regardless of the commercial hoopla here in the U.S. As for New Year's celebration, I prefer to stay home, hoping for the next one to be great.

Such is my wish for you and your family, as well as for the entire WA community. Happy NEW YEAR!

Thanks for commenting on this post. There's a song by an African reggae singer which says "Everything changes, everything evolves, ..."

As a child, Christmas was such a great moment, but as we grow older, it even becomes boring sometimes, that's why you wrote "now I can't wait for it to be over (LOL. )."

For me too Christmas and New Year make no difference in my life or the dialy ritual I go through. Should someone drop in, we could share a drink or even food.

Thanks for your New Year wish for me, my family and the entire WA community.

Happy NEW YEAR to you too and your loved ones!

I celebrate both Christmas and New Year with my family. More like a service followed by feast. We thank God our Father for carrying us through to another Christmas and another year.

I hope you had a very good time for both Christmas and New Year with your family. Sure, we owe everything to God our Father for carrying us through to another Christmas and another year.

May 2020 see you going from strength to strength.

Thank you

What an awesome reflection, Akoli! Thanks for sharing! My Christmas was spent with family and was relatively sedate! Have the greatest new year ever, my friend!

Jeff

Hello Jeff,

Thank you for appreciating my reflection. It was really my pleasure sharing. Are you also going to spend the New Year with your family? Thanks for your New Year wish. The same to you.

Yes, I will, Akoli!

Cool!

How about you, my friend?

I'm spendng it with my wife, son and daughter. But my son has the power of disappearing when his friends need him.

I think all sons have that power, Akoli--I think I did at one time as well!

We're the mean sex.

True that, my friend!

Aioli, we have all witnessed changes in our customs and traditions. Some families no longer have any traditions, which I think is sad. All my children now have families and are far away, so we no longer get together as a family. I miss that, but we still decorate and celebrate both Christmas and the New Year.
Joe

Joe, one of the things I studied at University was sociology and there was a lecture on "Social change." Back in the early 70s, I helped my elder brother carry out his research and he constantly drew my attention to changes in our customs and traditions. There's no static society. If there isa place where some families no longer have any traditions, it is Africa. They prefer to copy Western ways and lose the African. Finally they are neither. This is very sad. Sure, when the family members are far away, we no longer get together as a family. That is something sorely missed but we can't do much about that. Happy New Year my friend.

True sadly. I had the privilege of visiting Sierra Leon, Ivory Coast, So. Africa, and Ghana. Did Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. Love the people!
Joe

Oh, Ghana is just next door to me. You've seen more African countries than me!

Celebrations do change over the years. As a child it was mainly our family of 6 though occasionally my grandmother would come and stay.
When my daughters were young we always had lunch at home and went out for tea to various relatives and friends. It lasted about 2 weeks.
Now my daughters have families of their own and we take turns to host and always include their in laws. This year I was Christmas Eve, my younger daughter Christmas Day and the eldest was Boxing day.
We all love having the time together, relaxing, laughing and playing games. We also make time in the summer to go away together, at least once if not more.

Hello Linda,

Yes, celebrations really do change over the years. Yes, years ago Christmas was a big family affair where members came together from far and near to celebrate.

You and your daughters having lunch at home and going out for tea to various relatives and friends for about 2 weeks sounds like how it was here.

I think taking turns to host and including the in laws. sounds like a lot of fun. The bigger the crowd (but not too big) the better the fun. This year's Christmas Eve was you, your younger daughter Christmas Day and the eldest Boxing day. And the New Year.

I really loved evrything you said in your contribution. Thank you again.

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