New Year Celebration

The New Year celebration is always one that many look forward to yearly. Not just because of the aura that accompanies it but cherished moments of seeing loved ones whom you do not get to see regularly. For me, the celebration starts from Christmas up until after the day beginning the new year.

Photo by Michael Fousert on Unsplash

In my country, the year 2023 was quite hectic. Different storylines have filtered through each month and each carries with it a different lesson to learn from. It was just as if the citizens looked forward to a topic for the month as soon as a new month crawled in. News ranging from the elections to drastic inflation to fuel subsidies removal immediately after the new administration came in among others. Now, to celebrate having survived the whole year, who wouldn’t? Simple, there is always something to be thankful no matter how hard or clueless you may seem.

Due to the nature of my school’s calendar, this will be the first year since I resumed the first time that I will be spending both Christmas and New Year at once. So, it is something to look forward to. I had started my Student Industrial Work Experience scheme a couple of months before, and it ended in early December. This availed me more time to rest, explore and attend some events before leaving for my home in Ibadan.

The days preceding the New Year celebration were quite an interesting one. Different delicacies that I wasn't able to consume while in school due to one thing or the other were tabled before me. Apart from that, as an individual who is big on ‘family’, we had distant relatives come to visit and somehow bonded over the gap created by physical distance.

Fast forward to the last day of the year, the crossover night was always a memorable one. You know, the youths in my church come home and sometimes bring on the cool-gangster mood, with the fireworks which we call ‘knockout’ or 'banger'. Immediately the clock hits 12:00 am, they launch...

One major event I look forward to every year is that of the family meeting. This is where every member of my family is present, we share our experience as a family and individually. It was always a moment of mixed reactions, we simply let it all out. And each person receives word of advice from one another. On the other hand, we also schedule some goals we have for the new year and how best to achieve them. This meeting takes hours, only the starting time is fixed. Although refreshments were available throughout the meeting, so there was no cause for unnecessary alarm screaming hunger.

A time like this always makes my family come closer than ever in a whole year and it takes a toll on our connection as a family positively.

However, if only I could have the moments at home all to myself it would be good. But at any Nigerian home, as long as you are a product of the family, whatever title you have must be hung outside. It must not enter the home. Therefore, you shall run errands that might equate to all the ones you should have done while in school or away from home. I could not throw any tantrum since food was readily available.