Hello Ladies, Happy New Month, Wishing you all a blessed week and Month, okay to the topic for this week, so If I am being completely honest here, let's say I have never actually celebrated any holiday that is not mine, and not because I am not open to it,nah .... but because the opportunity has just never showed itself, but the funny thing is, living in Nigeria already exposes you to different religions and cultures without you even trying, this country is like one big cultural buffet you see, you may not taste everything, but you will definitely smell it, see it, or hear it.
For example, see I am not a Muslim, but tell me why every Sallah, I somehow still end up eating ram, you get? So it is like an unwritten law here, if your Muslim neighbor kills ram, the whole compound must collect their share, that's just how it is, and if you don’t, they will literally ask you why, so even though I have never sat through their full prayers or even joined them at the mosque, I have in a way definitely enjoyed the celebration from the sidelines, the food part especially ,so I can’t lie.
Same thing with Ileya period, You may not be part of the religion, but once those big coolers starts being washed, you just know the entire street is about to be fed, So when people say have you ever celebrated a holiday outside your own? My answer is always, not officially, but unofficially? My country has forced me in bits
While growing up, I also watched some traditional festivals even though I didn’t participate, masquerade period especially those things used to chase us up and down, and somehow it still counted as part of the celebration, and then there is the New Yam Festival some communities do, I have never joined one personally, but I have seen enough pictures and heard enough stories to know it is a whole different vibe, Nigeria is just rich like that, you can live your whole life here and still not experience every single tradition.
But if I do ever get the chance to fully celebrate a holiday that isn’t mine, seriously I honestly would love to, I think it would be really interesting to see how other cultures express joy, gratitude, history, or spirituality.
See even Christmas celebrated in another country would be a whole different experience, here in Nigeria, Christmas is all noise, food, traveling, matching outfits, church services, and children shouting up and down, But seeing how another culture celebrates it maybe quieter, colder (with snow), or more traditional , would be something I would really love to experience.
At the end of the day, I think as Nigerians we naturally love celebrations, if you bring food, music, and good vibes, we will definitely join you, know that we might not understand everything that is happening, but we will blend in one way or another, so yes, even though I haven’t celebrated any holiday outside my own, I am still very open to it, if the opportunity comes, I will grab it with both hands.
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