Christmas here and in Nigeria

From my homeland
Christmas here and in Nigeria
www.tuenews-international.de
edition 3  2016 jan 18  part 2 page 1
written by Bright Igbinovia
When I was a child, Christmas was the
most important of all the holidays
because it is the only day we could or are
allowed to wear new cloths. My mother
was a tailor and I remember we were
made shoes and clothes that are far
bigger than us (oversize) that we can
keep for a minimum of 3 years….We load
the inside of our shoes with papers or
something.
We also had the chance to eat around
other people’s houses and in most cases,
some well doing families are targets
because they cook different types of
foods and maybe apply more and good
spices which perhaps some other parents
couldn’t afford.
Few weeks before Christmas, most
parents will buy chicken and in most
cases, the hen is preferred. They are tied
to a chair in front of the house and this
gives the possibility to lay eggs till
Christmas. This system helps some
families not to only eat chicken meat on
Christmas but eggs too.
of Christ Jesus born by a virgin Mary
more than 2000 years ago in Bethlehem
of Judea. And according to the holy
scripture (The Bible), it is said that the
main purpose for the birth of Christ Jesus
was to bring redemption to humanity, to
make a better relationship between God
(The Creator) and Man (Creature)
through his death on the Cross.
The time before Christmas creates
tension in many homes and parents
become panic that they can´t afford
financially the Christmas stuff like Hen
and satisfy the children’s need e.g.
clothes and shoes. ´ In This article I want
to give you an idea about the meaning of
Christmas.
Those who believe in this mission of
Christ Jesus and put in practice his
commandments are Christians (Christ
like) and are originally to celebrate this
global feast marked on the 25th of
December every year and its season
which officially is concluded on the
Epiphany.
What is Christmas?
As Christianity began to take a hold
across the Roman Empire and beyond,
Christmas is the celebration of the birth
History of Christmas
Christmas was of Jesus' birth with various
cultural customs, many of which have
been influenced by earlier winter festivals
meaning that it is also observed as a
cultural holiday by many non-Christians.
after an existing pagan festival.
Modern day Christmas
In the world today, the real meaning
of Christmas is often forgotten. It has
become a non-religious holiday! More
children believe in Father Christmas
(Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas) than in
Jesus. Christmas Day and its season is
a time for eating and drinking too
much and watching television, giving
and receiving of gifts, Christmas trees,
light decorations and special songs.
But the real Christmas story is found
in the Bible. It is told in two different
books: Matthew and Luke chapters 1
and 2. But after studying, you will
realize that the story of the birth of
Jesus, and the way that we celebrate
Christmas today, do not seem to have
many connections.
Weihnachten hier und in
Nigeria
Unser Redaktionsmitglied Bright Igbinovia
erinnert sich gerne an die
Weihnachtsfeste während seiner Kindheit
in Nigeria zurück. Für ihn war
Weihnachten als Kind sehr wichtig. Nur
zu Weihnachten durften er und seine
Geschwister neue Klamotten tragen.
Seine Mutter war Schneiderin und er
erinnert sich daran, wie er und seine
Geschwister viel zu große Klamotten
bekamen, die für mindestens 3 Jahre
halten sollten. Die zu großen Schuhe
wurden mit Papier und anderen Dingen
ausgestopft und so wieder passend
gemacht. In seiner Nachbarschaft wurde
zur Weihnachtszeit viel gekocht. Bright
erinnert sich gut daran, wie er mit seinen
Geschwistern und Freunden die
unterschiedlichen Gerichte der Nachbarn
probieren durfte.
In Nigeria ist es üblich, dass sich die
Familien in den Wochen vor Weihnachten
Hühner kaufen. Diese Hühner werden mit
einer Leine an einen Stuhl vor ihrem Haus
gebunden und versorgen die Familien bis
Weihnachten mit Eiern. An Weihnachten
gibt es dann Hühnerfleisch zu essen. Die
Zeit vor Weihnachten bereitet vielen
Eltern in Nigeria Sorgen, weil es für sie
schwierig ist, sich Hühner zu leisten und
gleichzeitig die Weihnachtswünsche ihrer
Kinder zu erfüllen.
Nach diesem Ausflug in seine eigne
Kindheit erklärt Bright zunächst die
Bedeutung des Fests als Feier der Geburt
von Jesus Christus und geht anschließend
auf die Historie von Weihnachten ein. Er
hinterfragt kritisch das Weihnachtsfest in
unserer heutigen Zeit. Aus seiner Sicht,
spielt die wahre Bedeutung von
Weihnachten heute bei vielen Menschen
eine zu kleine Rolle. Viel wichtiger sind
oft die Geschenke und das
Weihnachtessen. Bright ist der Meinung,
dass diese Dinge mit der ursprünglichen
Weihnachtsgeschichte aus der Bibel nicht
mehr viel gemeinsam haben.
www.tuenews-international.de
edition 3  2016 jan 18  part 2 page 2
the date of when to celebrate the birth of
Christ became a bit of an issue, with
several different dates proposed. Until
350 AD, when the Bishop of Rome, Pope
Julius I, fixed the official Christmas day on
December 25.