Importance of Childhood Life Celebration in Eleme
Culture
Introduction
Celebration is
a special enjoyable event that people organize because something pleasant has happened or
because it is someone's birthday or anniversary. The celebration of something is praise and appreciation which
is given to it. In Eleme culture, all of a child’s milestones and major
accomplishments are celebrated and this gives the child a sense of
achievement, and offers a widow for rewarding the child for a job well done.
The life of the Eleme child is eventful. The Eleme culture have a process to
carefully recognise each of the events, identify it, appreciate it, celebrate
it and award it from cradle to grave. The people of Eleme celebrates birth,
naming, sitting, crawling, talking, teething, dedication, walking, hunting, socialisation,
graduation, marriage, coronation, conferment, promotion, anniversary, death,
among others.
The
people of Eleme also celebrate and shower gifts on their family member and
friend who join association (ogbo) and unveil/launch their group
(chusɛ
ogbo), song and dance, clothe, masquerade, and so on. This is captured
in the adage, “Ɔnɛ Osila aka nyɛ nje rēɛ je Èkpété. Someone without mother’s
first daughter will not dance Èkpété. Èkpété is a special musical
presentation and energetic dance that brings people together from far and near.
The style is exciting waist and footwork danced bear footed. It attracts presentation of different types of gifts
to the celebrants (who are members of the group) by family members and
friends. The reason for this proverb is
that if you have no relations no matter how good your dance steps are no one
will be at the town square, venue of the celebration, to present you gift.
In fact,
since the beginning of time, the people of Eleme have given high priority
towards the commemoration of special events in the life of the child. Every
major events and achievements in the life of the Eleme Child is celebrated and
is culturally designed to appreciate and reward the child. Each event or
achievement offers the Eleme Child an opportunity to be treated to showers of
gifts for accomplishing something challenging in life and it enables the adult
family and friends to share in the joy of that accomplishment.
Special
events like childbirth, naming, teething, walking and so on do lead up to/with
great gusto. The Eleme culture and tradition developed its own unique ways of
honouring special occasions in the life of the child from the beginning of time.
These are direct products of our cultural background, history, and even
religious beliefs. Few among these celebrations are discussed below:
1. Childbirth
Celebration
In Eleme
culture the birth of a child is greeted with jubilation. Childbirth is
considered the most important event in family life. Experienced traditional
midwives are responsible for delivering babies. They help to deliver the baby.
After delivery, the birth of the baby is celebrated. Family members, friends,
well-wishers, men, women, boys and girls from far and near join in the ceremony
that followed the birth of a baby, and the child’s father was expected to give
a feast for all members of the clan in recognition of the powers of womanhood.
This celebration is known as Birth Celebration (Agba Emásã). It entails drinking, singing and dancing. Some family
have also added music and foods to solidify the birth celebration. Powder is
also shared and rubbed freely by all. The women usually grace the day with the
following song and dancing:
Seɛ onwi
nje, amɛ ɛka nɛɛ (chɛrɛ) poida onwi?
This, when interpreted into
English Language means:
If the
child is not there, who will give (rub) child’s powder?
Rubbing of the child’s powder is
the climax of the childbirth celebration. This is usually extended to outside
the immediate compound to include neighbourhoods.
2.
Naming Ceremony
Eleme
tradition vests the responsibility of naming a child on the father. Where the
father is deceased, his next-of-kin takes over the responsibility. Eleme father
don’t just get up one morning to name his child. He contemplates for months,
trying on different names to see which one will suit the child’s purpose,
bundle and dreams. This is because the Eleme father knows that in traditional
Eleme culture names have real meaning and power. Eleme names are not mere tags
to distinguished one person from another or labels to define, classify, or
compare persons or things but an expression of the nature of what the entity
represents or stands for. They tell the family stories and exhibit the hopes
and expectations of the parents concerning their children’s future. Every child
in Eleme has at least a native and a Christian name.
Because
it is generally believed that names are like spirits which would like to live
out their meanings, parents do a thorough search before giving names to their
children. Naming ceremonies are performed with the same meticulous care,
generally by the father. Symbolic of the hopes, expectations and prayers of the
parents for the new baby, drink (mmi), food (nja), water (mmu), palm oil (nnɔɔ
Eleme), salt (nlό) each have a place and special meaning in the world-view of
the people of Eleme. For instance, drink (mmi) represents celebration, and the
prayer of the parents is that their baby’s life will be celebrated in the world
and beyond. Drinks are usually served, singing and dancing rends the atmosphere
as people from far and near are invited to participate in the naming ceremony.
Some families are known to have brought life band to entertain guests; others
use deejays (DJs) while others hire the services of local singers to grace the
occasion.
3. Teething
Ceremony
It is a time
honoured tradition in Eleme culture to throw a party for your little ones as
soon as they cut their first tooth. When the baby shows his first teeth, his parents, relations and
well-wishers will gather around the baby as he sits in front well dressed to
celebrate the milestone. Each person will struggle to see the baby’s teeth,
enticing the child with gifts of all sorts so that he will smile for his teeth
to be seen and admired. Hence, it is generally known in Eleme that “You cannot see the teeth of a child with an
empty hand”.
Baby will be encouraged to walk in front of someone who wants to see his teeth
while holding baby’s hands. As the baby is cheered to laugh and expose his
teeth there will be loud ovation and offer of lots of encouragement and praise.
4. Walking Ceremony
Walking
is a major developmental leap for babies, and parents are often anxious about
when it will happen. Every baby learns to walk at his own pace. When the parents watch and see that the child
has make few steps unaided, it is assumed that the child has walked and fit to
be celebrated. The parents will procure
three or more heads of coconut, depending on the number of children invited,
two big rackets of Awala and four or more sticks of dried Obĩi (Mudskipper). The
coconut will be shelled and cut into small pieces. The Awala and Obĩi are cut
into small pieces and mixed with the pieces of coconut. These will all be put
into a basket. By this time the whole children in the neighbourhoods, as many
as is possible, are assembled with the celebrant.
The
elder of that compound who has been briefed beforehand will carry the basket
with both hands and addressing the toddler who is standing in front of him, recites
the following:
Èbé era nninini chãa ochɛyo
tãmarũ.Ka chãrĩ wɛ oju obãrãrũ okuũ
Chã sigwã ɔka, chã sigwã echii. Ebo akɔrɔrũ
ɔmɛ.
This, when interpreted into English
Language means:
“As from today you should walk
steadfastly. Do not walk and relapse to creeping again.
Walk to the farm; walk to the market.
Enjoy a long life.”
After
this recitation, the elder will then turn towards all the children who are now
standing expectedly and tell then to widen the circle and prepare to pick the
contents of the basket. He will raise the basket up and down a number of times
saying:
Ɔnɛ Ebu, abu chue!
(“Who struggles to pick, pick and take!”)
And the children will respond, “Aaye!” (Yesoo!)
After
ensuring that the children attention has been obtained the elder finally throws
out all the content high up so that when they fall, each child will struggle to
pick as much of the contents as he can. The agile ones gather so much of the
fish and coconut while the weaker ones pick whatever may be left on the floor. This
ceremony is known as Obuenu O'o Onwi.
5. First Market
Ceremony
The first day that a child walks unaided to the village market unaided
is celebrated. This ceremony is figuratively called, Oke Enu O'o Onwi. The
Eleme culture acknowledges the significant of this milestone achievement of the
child and celebrates it.
When the child walks to the market unaided his mother makes him to sit
at a comfortable in the market while she buys something for the child to eat.
She buys a big fish like dried barracuda, catfish, snapper, or Tasty-Shynose and other ingredients which she hides.
At home, the fish will be brought out and showed to the child as his
Prize for walking unaided to the market and back. The fish will be used to cook
Loloo
Mbalo
and the entire head of the fish will be given to the child. Family and friends
are given pieces of the fish and the Loloo Mbalo as they eat and drink to
the child’s achievement.
6. Hunting
Celebration
The Eleme
child is taught the use of bow and arrow and latter catapult and animal traps. He begins by shooting lizards and fixed
targets like oranges and pawpaw fruits. He is taught fishing by his friends.
When the male child kills his first bird or animal, it is cooked and cut into
small pieces which are distributed to family and friends, distance relations
and people far and near. They are informed that this is the bird or animal, he
has killed. His parents will give him one piece of nice cloth each; while other
persons will give him gifts of clothes, money and so on. The day is usually
marked with singing and drinking to celebrate the attainment of the milestone.
7. Food Celebration
(Ogbo Nja)
The
people of Eleme don’t just eat food for eating sake. Food must be of the right
quality and quantity; it must result in a stable and adequate nutrition for
proper growth and development. The Eleme culture has developed a system known
as Ogbo Nja to build oneness among the Eleme people and promote proper feeding
and ensure communality. Ogbo
Nja is food carnival. Most Eleme
festivals revolved around foods because they are fulfilled farmers and they use
food to build bridges of relationship, cement brotherliness, encourage
socialisation, enhance cooperation and enhance communality among others. Other prominent food celebrations in Eleme
include but not limited to Agba Esaa Otɛbɛ Enu and,Okor Esaa..
When
a child grows to the age of seven (7) years and beyond, he is encouraged to
participate in the Ogbo Nja ceremony in which small groups of children from
within and outside ones immediate community are brought together as friends
that have to cooperate with one another as they grow up.
Ogbo Nja is one of the most popular festivals
celebrated across Eleme. Although people of all ages, sex, social status, or
religious inclination do participate; the festival is met for children and new
brides. It is celebrated annually on Ͻkͻͻ between 13 and 17 July, depending on
the position of the Moon. The feast is celebrated in two phases. Phase one is
called Ͻkͻͻ Obibai Etoo and is celebrated by female.
The second phase which is marked by male the next
day is known as Mma Agba Okundo.
In Eleme, yams, cocoyam and other foods items are
reserved after planting for the Ogbo Nja festival. It is believed that only
very good farmers can reserve the quantity and quality of yams, cocoyam, etc.
that is required for Ogbo Nja at the time of the year. The fish used for
preparing Ogbo Nja meal are those valued by people of Eleme for major
entertainments and they include: Obui (Catfish), Nda (Tasty-Shynose), Njijoi
(Snapper), Omεε (Barracuda), Ekoko (Stingray), among others.
Ogbo Nja is specifically dedicated to children and
new brides. It is celebrated with friends in pair. Children arrange for their
friends to visit them to participate in the annual celebration. New brides also
seek for their partners to take active part in the occasion.
The occasion provides an avenue for clearing the
house of old yams and cocoyam in anticipation of new ones. It also affords
parents and in-laws opportunity to present gifts to children and new brides in
appreciation of their assistance during planting and weeding. To be counted as
good children and be presented with varieties of gifts and words of blessings,
children exercise maximum obedience and discipline in anticipation Ogbo Nja
festival.
In the morning of day one occasion, children
usually wake as early as 4.30am to clear the compounds and town square in
readiness for the celebration. The children will also fetch water into all
available pots and containers. The atmosphere is usually charged as evidence of
Ogbo Nja festive period.
Parents will assemble their children and present
them with gifts of clothes and wrapper. Gifts will also be sent to children of
extended relations and friends to commemorate the year’s Ogbo Nja.
The recipients of these new clothes would wear them
and go visiting friends and relations to display their gifts across Eleme. As
the children move from compound to compound and from community to community
filled with happiness, they receive words of encouragement and praise for being
obedient and hardworking; and promising them of greater gifts next year. The
new brides are also presented with new dresses and wrappers by their husbands, father-in-law
and mother-in-law, etc.
That evening the women will gather at the town square
dressed in their best and newest attires to make a feast, singing and dancing
to Egbe Mba music till night falls. By 6p.m. or thereabout, the women will
return to their various houses to dish out food to their visiting guests and
family members. The food for this day is cocoyam.
The celebration is designed in such a way that
children move from compound to compound and from community to community, eating
and rejoicing. At the end of the day, they will return home with wrapped fish
as proof of participation in Ogbo Nja feast of that day. The new brides will
also do the same.
The day two celebration starts with the same
preparation. It is the men’s turn to present gifts to children and others who
were loyal, obedient and hardworking during the year according to his
assessments. The food for the second day celebration is yam, which will be
cooked and eaten pounded and/or sliced. The women will continue their music,
singing and dancing at the town square. Later in the evening, the men will
gather at the town square to eat together in groups, thereby bringing the Ogbo
Nja festival of that year to an end
These and
many other childhood ceremonies which are celebrated on an individual or
community basis reinforce and promote sense of community, love, joy, reverence,
success, unity and brotherhood. It gives the child a sense of achievement and
it is a great way of rewarding the child for a job well done. Besides, it is
important that you celebrate your child’s milestones and accomplishments. Significantly
too, because most of these celebrations involve almost all the children, their
parents and other adult family members and friends in the community they are
not just celebrated for the fun of celebrating but to:
1.
Cultivate/inculcate a Sense
of Community
They offer opportune times to bond with our families and
friends and well-wishers and a chance to connect with those we love and
care about on a deeper and more profound level.
2.
Promote a sense of achievement and encourage
exploit
These
celebrations spur our children to greater achievements and propel them to make
positive exploits; to accomplish those milestones worthy of celebration and
praise. Then criminality and all forms of anti-social behaviours were frowned
at and industry was cherished.
3.
Instil a sense of meaning and significance to our
lives as a people
The
unique practices that highlight important milestones such as childbirth,
naming, walking etc. all serve an important purpose. Participating in the
customary rites (rubbing of powder, singing, dancing, drinking or children
struggling among themselves to get pieces of coconut and fish during Oken Enu O'o Onwi) connects us to the
significance of the role that such occasion plays within the grand scheme of
our lives. It instils a sense of appreciation for the gift of life.
4.
Create lasting fond memories
The human
mind tends to recall memories that carry a high emotional charge to
them. When we commemorate a special occasion in the life of our baby, we are
essentially placing a mental bookmark on the child’s experience, thereby making
it easier to remember it in the future. The photos, videos and other forms
of memorabilia from those occasions serve as triggers that
children can use to re-live those pleasant experiences and achievements in the
future.
5.
Add fun and excitement to our lives
These Celebrations can be incredibly fun and provides
children and their parents with the perfect opportunity to engage in the joys
of life such dance, song, food, play and laughter.
6.
Enables children take their place in the circle of
life.
They are not only ushered into the world but
celebrated at every point of achievement. Besides, when we take the time to
celebrate these events that were cherish and celebrated by our ancestors in the
yesteryears we are
essentially connecting with our humanity and the commonality that we share with
all those who have been long gone before us.
The modern
Eleme family’s carefree life of excluding themselves from participating in
gatherings that pay homage to the important milestones in their children’s life
is robbing Eleme younger generation sense
of achievement, community, love, peace, cooperation and fun that comes with
these celebrations.
