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In my country Nigeria, the New Year is a big deal; it’s unarguably the biggest “event” of the year. A country with Christianity and Islam as the major religions, religious festivities like Christmas and Sallah are celebrated only by people who share the faiths. But the New Year has no religion; it concerns everyone. Suffice to say, it’s a party for everyone.
Anticipation of the New Year begins immediately after the Christmas celebrations. As soon as the 27th of December comes along, everyone begins a countdown to the New Year. It’s common to hear things like “Happy New Year in advance.” This greeting creates a mental note in the minds of everyone about the big fish that’s on the way.
The 31st of December is largely referred to as New Year’s Eve. You see, the anticipation on this day is on another level. You can literally see the excitement in people’s eyes as they anxiously wait for the big day. There are three major traditions of welcoming the New Year in Nigeria. I’ll explain three of them below and let you know the one I was a part of this year.
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Most Nigerians are very religious people. As they anticipate the year, they back it up with prayers, handing the New Year into the hands of God, praying for the New Year to bring good tidings. All over the country, it’s common practice for Churches to hold a New Year Eve’s Service. You are rest assured of seeing people in almost every Church in the neighborhood. Worshipers pray, sing and dance in appreciation to God for seeing the last day of the current year. And as the clock ticks to 12 midnight, everyone joins their voices, ushering in the New Year with a loud shout of “Happy New Year.” The excitement in the air is on another level. Shortly after, there’s hot praise as worshipers begin to dance like there’s no tomorrow.
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There’s usually the group of people who have other plans other than going to Church. As a country big on entertainment with a vibrant music industry, show promoters organizers big shows and events to usher in the New Year. They begin to promote these shows on the Mass Media and Social Media towards the end of December. Party lovers make a mental note of the show(s) they’ll attend. On New Year’s Eve, people troop to different shows of their choice to welcome the New Year in grand style. With their favorite Musicians on stage, they dance and sing along out of joy for being alive. When it gets to 12 midnight, the music is halted for a moment as everyone shouts “Happy New Year!” The party continues till dawn.
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Another group of people prefer to hold a street party. They come out in numbers, playing loud music on the streets as they dance on New Year’s Eve. At 12 midnight, they make fireworks and burn tires on the road out of excitement.
Everyone is part of a party to welcome the New Year in Nigeria. It all depends on the nature of party one chooses to indulge. Come to think of it, I think the excitement in the build up to the New Year is much more than the excitement on the 1st of January.
On the 31st of December, I decided to go with the first group – the religious group. I was seated in Church with other worshipers, eagerly waiting for the ticking clock to get to 12 midnight. A few seconds to the highly anticipated moment, a countdown began. We counted from 60 seconds down to 12 midnight, and then we shouted “Happy New Year!”