During the time before the New Year, one can clearly draw a colorful picture of the rich cultural heritage, customs, and traditional affiliations hinged on walls of celebrations noticed in my country.

People tend to celebrate their festivals and festivities with lots of splendor. 

 

As far terrific goes the intensity with which New Year eve celebrations are made can be far felt and better experienced even if one is not a part of them. If one wishes to have a different New Year eve celebration, which they would love to surrender in the memories of their mind’s history books for life, then my country will come up top in their wish list. Even the weather condition during the period prior to the New Year tends to be enigmatic, which itself seems to be supportive to the celebrations of the seasons, no gain saying.

The New Year’s Eve from all quarters you turn to in my nation, births the smell of a new beginning and one of the most celebrated days of the year in our Nation, as it is in other parts of the world, this I believe is agreeably true. When it comes to the end of the year’s festivities we as Africans (the sleeping sons of Jacob),

 

 don’t live life in rush, knowing the past cannot be returned to, and it is not over until it is game up. We most times time party all day until the night turns into tomorrow. And how we receive the New Year appears to be flabbergasting to other folks from the rest of the world.

Saddled with a sharp divide between the north and south on almost every issue, spanning from: politics to power sharing, not leaving out religion and it festivities. The north is largely known for their strong Islamic stance and the south favoring Christianity and its religious believes. The opposite corresponding festivities tends to be trivialized or in more explicit terms trashed by the opposite sect. So while the south was celebrating the Christmas season as a big time event, the northerners only saw it as a holiday away from official duties. How sour the taste of this feels to the Christian folks?

But events that see s the arrival of the New Year intersect and interest Christians and Muslims alike, Northerner and southerner, rich and poor, all and sundry: relishing the moments that births the New Year in different shades and strokes depending on the folks involved and their sentimental attachment. 

The eve is every now and often marked with many travelling and finding their way back from the cities back to the country sides and villages  to celebrate New Year Eve and the new year day with parents, grandparents and other relatives and old time friends, who might have not been seen all through the year. 

Celebrating New Years Eve and the New Year day in one’s country home with one’s extended families is a big all big time event which involves a lot of preparations and spending, how funny this seems to me. Folks in villages come to cities to spend time with brothers and sisters, to enjoy the New Year eve in the city as well, what a paradox, but that’s how life slides. It is therefore noticed that a lot of travelling is been embark upon, on the eve of the new year, sometimes saddled with sour eventualities of road accidents and mishaps which was also observed in this past Eve, how I hate to say. 

People also buy or sew clothes to show case a classy appearance; while homes and streets get fanciful with decorations: ribbons and lightings and all sorts of colorful lights igniting the streets with passion and flair; with loud banging music from all quarters

 

 in wait for the reception of the year in store.

New Year eve celebrations are largely characterized by the presence of food and delicacies and its preparation alike, 

 

in almost all quarters and communities. Families have 

• Goats 
• Sheep 
• Ram 
• Chicken

 

• Turkey 

 

Killed, to make the best of delicacies like

• Pounded yam

 

•  Jollof rice 
• Fried rice 

 

• Vegetable salad 
• Local soups 

and all types of delicacies. And there is free flow of alcohol: 

• Beer 
• Palm wine
• Exotic wines 
• Locally brewed drinks 
• Fruit juices among others

Traditional celebrations of a standard New Year eve celebration is noticed in the country in the form of a number of big parties in various 

• Pubs 
• Discotheques, 
• Night clubs

 

• Street carnivals

 

• Beach carnivals

 

• Street parades 

 

• Colorful processions of loud  music
• Artist performing on broad way 

 

Starting from the New Year’s Eve, till New Year day.

People from all sectors, irrespective of their age and background mutually 

Eat

 

 

Drink

 

 

Dance

 

• And celebrate the night away 

 

And as soon as the midnight arrives at twelve, everyone shout out loud with cheer and grandeur. Youths fire firecrackers or “bangers” and 

 

All sorts of fireworks to mark the birth of the year in the spirit of celebrations.

Apart from the cheers everyone is motivated to give life a fresh start with hopes hitting the roof with an optimistic positive believe that life will be better; and hope to be better human beings in the times ahead igniting passion in everyone’s mind. You need to measure my hopes for 2018: the calibration on your barometer will be blown out of proportion to your surprise. 

Vows are taken by everyone to let rivalries down, turn foes and enemies into friends; giving a new push and a buoyant start to life again. Also, it is the time when people irrespective of the fact that if they are in a party, in their house, or on the street, offer prayers to the supreme lord and Master, to confer them with peace, prosperity, and breathe life into their best wishes the coming year, how sick that sounds. It is followed by exchanging of wishes and pleasantries and gifts with friends, families, and all those present around.

Usually, people love to shop and dine during and around the time surrounding the birth of the New Year, and various restaurants, 

 

Hotels and malls give special offers and discounts at this period to attract more customers. Oh! What a time to shop if what you wish for is more value for your money. Restaurants and hotels prepare special delicacies including traditional dishes during the time of New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve in my country.

Many others across the divide might wish not to be part of these very regular ways of celebrating the rite of passage into the New Year most times; rather in their own rights might choose to have a sight of the scenic beauty of the country, spread over its charismatic and assorted

• Wildlife

 

• Smashingly stunning/fascinating waterfalls 

 

• And startling beaches in a higher definition.

Preferring the offer of a different way with which one can spend ones New Year’s Eve. Usually, those looking to be at nature’s lap, or a touch with their mind reminiscing, that’s if you know what I mean, move out either to 

• Indanre Hills or to 
• The Oluma Rocks or the 
• Pacific Own falls 

to experience the first light of the dawn rising first hand with no second guessing, there in the presence of the spectacular natural vista leaving their mind to soar in high height of imagination and conceptualization of ideas that will drive them wild all round the year.

 

Another way you could be touched by the ecstasy of the New Year eve in my vicinity is by having a peep into the Unique Masquerades Party, 

one of the biggest New Year eve celebrations in Nigeria. This is arguably but also agreeably one of the biggest parties ever. This sees people coming in dressed up as with certain animal or human features being prominently highlighted. It is followed by high energy dance and explosive runs and running accompanied with hot chases

 

 on the streets performed by them. It is considered as an act and symbol of bringing good luck and cheerfulness in the lives of participant, and also stays back the handwriting of all the evil energies and negativities out of life, so funny to believe if you ask me. It is also considered as a precise way of spreading the message of positivity, love, peace and hope, for the year ahead, they may be right in their own rights, who knows. 

Offrima is a popularly known masquerades party. It has tribal affiliation with riverside communities, with the masquerades dressed up and arrayed in costumes strikingly similar to fishes, and then performing dance on the tribal vibes and tunes. 

 

There is also news making the rounds that no one can unmask himself while performing the dance, so they say I barely know how true. Some also say that the mask is believed to protect the mind, body, and soul from getting vulnerable to any attack from evil spirits. How true that is, is what I cannot speak on?

Apart from masquerades party, one can also witness various different tribes celebrating the New Year eve as well as New Year day in their own very well different ways. Most of them involve performing rural or tribal dances displays on the tribal music, by the people of the tribe or local performers only. Other activities such as archery (shooting with a bow and arrow) and juggling (continuously toss into the air and catch a number of objects so as to keep at least one in the air at any time) are also ensured to be part of those celebrations.

Please I graciously hope you have been following me closely on my tour as we go through a thorough examination of trends and ways individuals from different environment in my country decide to celebrate their rite of passage or the reception of the birth of a new year. Don’t get lost in process.

Based in a Christian dominated south-south region of   a multi-ethnic country like mine. I barely will find a 31st December night without shots of fire-works (popularly known as knock-outs and bangers) rampaging the street of the Port-Harcourt heating up the area from about 6pm. And as far as terrific goes the intensity zooms from classy to nasty with the sight compared to an event of children in their early days playing cops and robbers or toy soldiers, that if you know what I mean; or in strong explicit terms the event most likely could be liken to beginning of the rage world war three, how I hate to say. Steaming fear and rage in the minds of the elderly who once in time past, partook of this feast of fury in their younger days, how sleek and paradoxical. But as time goes by, headed towards the night, you will never have a 31st December night without a Christian religious worship spanning all night long (a.k.a. night vigil) birthing the year with titles like the few illustrated below

• Cross over Service
• Conquest night 
• Passover night
• Victory night
• And what many more.

What a way to enter the year in the God’s presence? With the man of God giving a positive vibe about the coming year, from a revelation he must have received from God, we believe. With different churches giving different theme to the year, where you would hear themes like 

• My year of  supernatural speed
• My year of spreading
• My year of conquest
• Year of success
• Year of marvelous help
• Year of unprecedented divine favor
• Eagles fight is my sure heritage
• What’s more?

A theme desire to keep religious folks motivated and focused all round the year ahead, even when they feel like giving up, what a way to stay on point with precision with your year’s dream. On that night just before the advent of the New Year I hate to tell you that everyone is or pretends to be a Christian. Even those who don’t take Christianity seriously, everyone tends to surge their way to church. With the street fill with people finding different destinations of their religious centers just in time before the twelve hour mark, how hypocritical. With all churches at, and around that very moment filled up beyond capacity. How hard Jesus must be in laughter or may be bitter in raged or even disappointed to see their gesture or he might surprisingly even be happy to have around. Who knows? 

 At the hour marks, the bishop, pastor or religious leader stops the procession for exchange of pleasantries with everyone to his neighbor saying exchange of words one to another with the statement ‘happy new year’ inclusive and large outrage of fireworks hitting the climax, leaving many emotionally unstable and pushing up the pressure in their blood to the roof with their heart sinking deep. And funny enough as it might sound or seem, moments afterwards the pleasantries, many who came to church for the sake of the ritual or the rite of passage into the New Year tend to begin to find their way out, one after the another. Resigning to restaurant and bars; signing on to the reception of loud music, getting stoned with smoking and drunk with liquor 

 

(while God looked at the wicked and laughed). 

With the message from the religious leader continuing from where it left off, shortly the service sees it close. The bulk of the problem exits around the fact that many might be afraid to go home because of the rage of the shots from the fireworks which has gotten to cloud nine leaving many with just one option: This is staying back and sleeping in church. Not rushing into condemning this folks for their magnitude of fear, after wind of some sad piece of information came buzzing, leaving many with a bitter taste on the New Year day’s morning. Unknown gunmen busted into the streets shooting indiscriminately, trying to make an impression to the government, who have over the process of time made promises and promised a lot of lies: 

 

killing about twenty persons who were on their way back from New Year eve’s service,. Oh! I pray the Lord their souls to keep in peace.  But It’s a mystery how we keep repeating our history, making the same mistakes as our ancestries, it seems like all of life’s lessons were wasted, how risky? Fighting a war with no basis, how sick that is?

But for me however, the New Year eve wasn’t that eventful as you would have expected, I am only second guessing. You would barely believe, I sat in front of my personal computer,

 

Up until night

 

baking and making emotionally sick  designs

 

 

All the way.

 

• You might think you have seen enough wait until I disappoint you.

 

  

 

  

welcoming friends who cared to stopped by, checking up on steemit.com 

 

from time to time and hanging around with my extended family that came visiting. 

 

Catching a meal and a couple drinks

 

with my angel, who always lets me know I have her heart for keep sake; who you already know is my accomplice at the table, always connected to me like TV is to cable, who drives my mind wild whenever she is in sight. The face I see when I am asleep, painting me the perfect picture replica (in love) of my favorite Mona Lisa.  

 

Later on I headed to church, birthing the year with God as the best suited option. What a way to start when you are starting strong with God, you can be double sure, am not gainsaying and you already know.

Mind you, for many, the year (2018) might be a new beginning, but for me, I have plans with the end in mind.

So when your rising start, as it doing now with the birth of the New Year, 

 

be wise, smart and fast to make your mark because time flies fast.  For when all said is done, the past cannot be returned to. Mind you it’s not over until it is game up, so keep you’re focused and your aim up.

But there is nothing wrong about having a junk load of fun; the system might wish to tame

….......... Cheers! …… Cheers!! .…...…. Cheers!!! ………