NO CHRISTMAS WITHOUT GIVING

its-kg (52)in #nigeria • 7 years ago

🎶
Today na wetin
Today na washing night
🎵
Today na wetin
Today na washing night
🎶
Tomorrow na wetin
Tomorrow na Christmas
🎵
Tomorrow na wetin
Tomorrow na Christmas

"Washing night" was what we called Christmas Eve. 😂😂

It was sung like a chant in call and responses. The kids usually came out on Christmas Eve some of them wearing only pants, hitting empty tin cans and plastic plates or buckets as their chant drums.

Christmas Eve was the night of less sleep and more fun. No matter how poor you were, your parents could always afford 2 things.

✅ Chicken 🐓 and

✅ Christmas Clothes 👗

😂😂😂😂 Most of us understand this, especially Nigerians.

No matter how cheap the new clothes were, all we wanted to know was that

We got new clothes for Christmas to put on.

Parents usually bought the clothes with plastic colourful eye glasses and wristwatches.

The clothes came in something we called "shoot and shoot"

i.e, your top and bottom were of the same material and colour, so it could've been jean on jeans, but mostly Ankara made shoot and shoot.

If a family didn't have chicken, be rest assured they'll always get from their neighbours because it was a season of giving.

Everyone just wanted to give, even the children were willing to share. Or forced to share or sacrifice 😂.

When mother's went to the market, most went with their daughters and sons and got them to select the shoes or clothes they wanted, if the same article was picked by both siblings, the mother would ask them to choose who would get it between themselves.

It was a way of teaching the value of sharing, whether it was a high class boutique or hand me down "okeraka" market, every mother found their budget and value for their children.

As you enjoy your Christmas, don't forget that it is not complete without giving, make somebody happy besides your relatives, look out for that family that has nothing, look at for that child that has no one, and make this Christmas memorable for them.