What does Christmas mean to the Head; Internal Audit, Heirs Holdings. In this interview, Chinazor draws the curtain open and invites us into a world of childhood memories, masquerades, falling in love and an ongoing happily ever after.
Read below:
What is your earliest Christmas memory?
My family and I used to travel to our hometown every Christmas. It was a tradition and the experiences were my best as a child. I remember the cold but dry harmattan haze during the festive period, particularly at night and in the early hours of the morning. We (my siblings and I) would sit out with our cousins, gisting and playing games late into the night. We did not look forward to retiring to bed because the fun times and bonding were at an all-time high. Chuckle!
Most mornings, we would sit around the fireplace (a most welcome and desirable panacea for the harsh cold that brought with it, charred lips and white skin) while my grandma (God bless her soul) made us roasted yam (ngu or non-ngu) with ugba. Ask me later for the interpretation! Sometimes we had roasted plantain. Yummy delicacies!!! There were also the visits to our close and distant relatives, some of which we didn’t look forward to. The visits were accompanied by tales of the relationship between us, some of which seemed at the time, to go way back to the 10th century. Lol. We could not fathom! These tales were usually from my mum; it seemed like it was her calling. But we are better for it because family is everything!
All the same, it was a delight either strolling or being driven to various places while listening to the chirping birds or whistling winds. The lonely village paths were also scary but somewhat interesting. I cannot forget the very early morning visits (as early as 5am) from our kinsmen, with chants of Unu a lo la e! Kpoi kpoi! Onye no ebe a? Ha no kwa ya e? It was exasperating!
And before I knew it, it was time to return to Lagos. ?
What was your fondest Christmas memory – tell us why it was special please?
I cannot quite remember which was my fondest, but I enjoyed the traditional masquerade events where the masquerades displayed their dancing skills while wielding their sticks to scare anyone not dropping some cash or just for the fun of it. It was scary yet interesting. I also loved our annual “Ekeleke” Festival which took place at the village square. It involves men wearing long crests on their heads and standing on high stilts, dancing in carefully choreographed and impressive steps. The climax of the event was the shooting of nwa-agu (lion cub). It sure was and still is an interesting festival.
What special Christmas traditions did your family practice while you grew up?
The major tradition involved going for mass (church service) and spending most part of the day cooking and entertaining the numerous guests that we were sure to have on such days. I thought Christmas was for relaxation! We would also sit out gisting for long hours and most times, say a New Year cross over prayer. Amid all these were the popping of fireworks (particularly Bisco) as my parents were not fully in support of “Banger” and “Knock-outs”.
What is your most memorable Christmas as an adult?
My wedding of course. On 29 th December 2007, I got married to a handsome, intelligent, loving and humorous guy who I hope to grow old with. May God grant my prayers. In December of the preceding year, we had our introduction. The period before the wedding was quite tasking. In addition to planning our wedding from two different locations, my dad had been very ill and I had to shuttle from my office at Ikoyi after close of work to the hospital in Victoria Island before going home to Festac almost on a daily basis. It was draining, and it took a toll on me but God was faithful, my dad got better and the event was successful.
Tell us more about your ‘Christmas’ wedding.
It was a bright sunny morning in the beautiful and bustling city of Owerri in Imo State. My bridal train and I dressed up at the hotel, took some pictures and were joined by the groom who drove us to the church. Unconventional, right? We know. At Christmas, Owerri is usually a bee hive of activities, (having several events that cause so much traffic). We drove fast to the church and were lucky to be there on time as the first mass had exceeded its time; we then had to wait a while. The wedding took place at the Assumpta Cathedral, a beautiful edifice sitting elegantly at an inter-state road junction that links Owerri to Port Harcourt, Onitsha, and Aba. There, I exchanged vows with the love of my life who had bedazzled me with his breath-taking “lyrics” during our courtship. We had a long-distance relationship, so our means of communication were majorly through calls and text messages. The texts were so amazing that I kept a diary of them (as much as I could keep up with).
After the mass, we were chauffeur-driven by a female friend to the venue of the reception where several guests were in attendance. The party ended with a dance initiated by my sister-in-law and her friends. The ceremony was followed by a thanksgiving mass the next day at my new hometown and we proceeded to Calabar town and Obudu Cattle Ranch for our honeymoon. It was a lovely experience – from the very narrow and meandering road up the ranch to the cold atmosphere at the hilltop, the canopy walkway, the cable car descent that stopped for what seemed like ages mid-air due to some fault, the food, animals and scenery.
Tell us more about marriage and motherhood
In the first week of December, a few weeks to our 1st wedding anniversary, I was delivered of a big and cute baby boy. My sister and mum had accompanied me to the hospital and shortly before he was born, I saw my sister agitated and almost crying before she was chased away by the nurses. Lol! The baby was so big that he could not fit into the first two cIothes that were handed to the nurses. Luckily, I had packed a few bigger clothes. It was a very joyous moment followed by anxiety because for a while, I was unable to sleep. A few days later, we went home to start the mid-night vigils/battles.
December has been a pleasant month for me – from the beautiful childhood memories to my introduction, wedding/honeymoon, birth of my first child, and an upcoming 50 th wedding anniversary celebration in honour of my parents-in-law this year. It is going to be another fun-filled Christmas season and I am so looking forward to it. Praying for many more reasons to celebrate.
