Nigerian-Mexican Xmas: 1st of its kind in Africa (II)

Happy parentsSome parents too were present at the Nigerian-Mexican Christmas, and had as much fun as the children. They  speak positively about the festivity, as well as on  Mexico itself. One of them, Odesanmi Bamidele, a Quantity Surveyor, visited Mexico last year, and is present at the Nigerian-Mexican Christmas dressed in a unique Mexican attire, […]

Happy parents
Some parents too were present at the Nigerian-Mexican Christmas, and had as much fun as the children. They  speak positively about the festivity, as well as on  Mexico itself. One of them, Odesanmi Bamidele, a Quantity Surveyor, visited Mexico last year, and is present at the Nigerian-Mexican Christmas dressed in a unique Mexican attire, which he says he “bought at the tourists shop in Mexico.” He salutes tourism in Mexico. His words “Their tourism is number one in the world, and the industry is simply fantastic. In Nigeria, if we can provide security,we can live on tourism given what we have, and earn so much from it. Mexico is a place I will like to go back to over and over again.” On the benefits of the Nigerian-Mexican Christmas for the children, he adds “They are now aware of another language, and a culture which embraces Christmas in this form. I was  also impressed to see Muslim youths coming to join the youths here.” He adds that the children now look forward to the Christmas celebration. According to him “Children numbering  three hundred come together to enjoy themselves for one day each year. The government and the NGOs in Nigeria should organise something like this.It makes for unity, and allows  people to freely know one another, and is a form of education itself.”
A magical Christmas  
It is a sunny afternoon. Here is  a level field, with canopies on each side, countless children milling around, and several smiling adults . There are motifs  on the decorations which are placed all over the field. Various games for children can be found at different parts of the same field. Some games are brought onto the field, and taken away when they are concluded. There is much art, fun and flexibility here.It is within this field that the  Nigerian-Mexican Christmas  takes place. One of the Mexican elements in the celebration is the Pinata. A rope is tied across a small section of the field and the Pinata, or the devil’s basket, is attached to  it. Very soon children gather around the Pinata, and  begin to hit it with a stick. Soon the Pinata bursts open, and sweets begin to fall out. There is a brief scramble. Goke Adegoroye  explains “The Pinata  belongs to prehispanic  culture, and it has been handed down from one generation to another. It is originally a clay pot which is beaten with a stick by blindfolded children. When they hit the pot, sweets  fall out.” It is a game which illustrates the destruction of the devil in a dramatic way. Throughout the world,  you can find various versions of the Piñata, but it is originally from Mexico.” He says that the breaking of the Pinata, and the outpouring of sweets, symbolises the fact that the conquering of the devil or the deadly sins, is followed by the flow of good things or blessings  from the Almighty.
Next is the Posada song which is done alongside a huge procession of children carrying candles. According to Goke Adegoroye, “the procession is very ceremonial, and it retreads the path of Jesus, the very path which led to the birth of Jesus. The people are given candles, and then they begin the procession through the town, led by Joseph, Mary and a donkey.” The procession stops at various spots, where, as part of the timeless drama, Joseph and Mary seek accommodation at a number of Inns or Posada. Very soon they are able to find accommodation in a manger. Goke Adegoroye says that the procession at present is restricted to his compound, although the ideal thing will be to take it out to the streets, involving the entire community thereby. It is principally on account of the safety of the children that it is kept within his compound for now, he says.
Then there is the matchless and magical moment when balloons are released into the air. Children  make a wish and write this  on pieces of paper, each of which is attached to an inflated balloon and released into the air. The release of the balloons each bearing a little wish, into the skies above the level field earlier referred to, is a truly beautiful sight,  drawing  excited gasps from the gathered crowd. Maria Adegoroye says that throughout the year the children carefully reflect on what wish they will make at the next Posada. It is something that is taken seriously in Mexico,and some children  speak of wishes made at previous Posada’s which came  to pass. So, now they return to express another very dear wish.

According to her “Throughout the year,they form an idea about what they will wish for at Christmas.They then write this wish on a piece of paper,which is tied to a balloon. The balloon is later  released into the air.” Daily Trust interviewed a few of the children,who said that they were wishing that the insecurity in the land will come to an end. Another was hoping that his father will come back from Greece, while many were hoping for better financial stability ,and happiness in their  homes.
The Duck dance is another import from Mexico, and featured during the celebrations admirably coordinated by both Goke and Maria Adegoroye. The children were made to form two lines,they sang the nice accompanying song,and made   the two forward movements which make up a large part of the dance.It  is a dance which  functions as a kind  of exercise, and usually forms a part of Children’s parties, and does not really have  a link with Christmas.But there was no harm done in blending it to the Christmas festivity, and everyone enjoyed it. There is also the Doughnut eating contest, another truly Mexican affair.Here Doughnuts are tied to a rope, and children are asked to eat from the tied nut. One condition is that while eating, the children are not to use their hands to touch the Doughnut. This again was one of the most popular games at this year’s  Nigerian-Mexican Christmas, and was also keenly watched  by the children and  adults present. Later, towards the close of the event, the cake of The Three Kings is cut and eaten. The leaflet on this year’s event states “A figure of Baby Jesus is hidden inside the cake. The cake is cut into slices and served one piece per person.”
Keeping Posada alive
Goke Adegoroye says that the youths in the area “help a lot by going from house to house, and inviting children to the Christmas event. They put names down, and remind the children  to be present  for our event.In  addition they identify the young children who can sing,and they invite  them for rehearsals.They also assist in bringing those who wish to participate in the Posada procession.”

The festivity affords children an opportunity to test their singing skills, which means that they can return to school and find that they are equipped for the stage  or other performances. Thus, there are countless  ripple effects of the Christmas event, which includes the cultivation of more culinary skills by the youths, for there is a huge crowd to feed. Mr. Adegoroye adds that he hopes that in the future the youths will be in charge of the Posada. “We want to deemphasize our personal involvement, and we would like  the Nigerian-Mexican Christmas to become an integrated activity of this community. It doesn’t matter whether we are here or not. It should be able to go on.” He  is also looking forward to a day when he will be able to establish  a family endowment to ensure that the Posada is given the support it deserves, an act which will guarantee its continuity. This is  bound to  give the event a certain push and buoyancy. Two years from now, he anticipates “a bigger Posada that will probably be in the streets. We will then be able to organise a Posada that will be away from my compound. All that will be needed  is an advance notice to the community ,and ensuring that enforcement agencies in the area like the Police and the FRSC, are fully involved. All it needs is a 30 minute  restriction on traffic.” He thinks the Posada will involve other communities in Akure in the near future.

His words “Then maybe another community will say that they want to join us. At that point we will  begin to be like Mexico where the Posada is a huge moving  procession through the streets, and everybody is involved with it. There  is a lot of goodwill and sharing.It  is almost like that now, because my Cousin Demola Adegoroye, organises a Christmas and New Year party close to January 1st. His wife is also very interested in what we are doing. We may then be having different family members across the town doing the Posada, and this place will then be the final destination of the huge singing procession which dramatically stops at various points seeking accommodation for the make believe Joseph and Mary, his pregnant wife. So, this  is a  version of the Mexican Christmas carnival going on in Akure.”
He argues that as soon as more communities  and children in Akure  embrace the Posada, and there are more funds available, then the annual festivity will graduate to a major outing.
His wife  speaks  about  her plans for the yearly event. According to her “I want to invite the whole town to  the Posada, but then there is the challenge of money, as well as the lack of space. I also want to give drinks to everybody, but there is  the budget to think about.”
She adds that there is the challenge of translating from Mexican into English and Yoruba. She is optimistic that these are challenges which will be overcome as the years pass and interest in the festivity continues. Translating from Mexican to Yoruba and English also means some level of advancement for the three languages, she implies. Then she speaks of the great plan of doing the Posada, a purely Mexican event, in Yoruba in the future. Her words “I would like to do the Posada in Yoruba. We can get the young ones to do a Yoruba version. Maybe this will be possible next year.” This shows that the celebration itself is capable of advancing   Yoruba language and culture. It will  also be an expansion of a Mexican tradition. Goke Adegoroye adds that something new was added this year which was the use of security gadgets. His words “Entrance is free, and the organisers did not want someone to come around, to take advantage of the open gates to do mischief.”
He adds that he does not know 95% of the people present at the Posada, which gives an indication of its spread and growing popularity in Akure. There has been a steady increase in the number of children present at each Posada, with every passing year. The Adegoroye’s have had to buy costumes from as far afield as Morocco and Dubai. The massive hats worn by the Three Kings (referred to as the Magi Kings) during this year’s  event, were gifts received by the family at the 2013 Abuja carnival. Maria Adegoroye regularly designs the costumes used at the event, and she salutes tailors in Nigeria. Her words “The creativity of the tailors here is very high, and they are much better than anywhere else in the world.” Tailors are a useful rung  in the emergence of this type of tourism spot, for the event itself requires costumes, countless decorations, and there is a special, tender focus on aesthetics. Then, there is much work for the carpenter here too. A live Donkey is required, which also  means a little work for those involved with  cattle. The  items needed are generally light, simply because the Posada is a street event, and all items needed must  conduce for swift   movement and  occasional  pauses, done by hundreds of children bearing  glowing candles within their small happy fingers.

Concluded