Despite the high cost of travelling, Igbos didn’t ditch the attraction to go home. They still make time to travel to the reunion of their loved ones at home. We can say that for sure the number actually reduced because of the high cost of transportation, but many always and still travelled for Christmas.
If you live in Nigeria, especially Lagos State or in other big cities where Igbos live in large numbers, you will observe the tempo of activities at various terminals where buses are boarded to the Eastern part of Nigeria. Air travel is not unaffected either. It would have dramatically increased at this time and this goes for the local airports also.
If you ask a transporter, who plies the Eastern routes when he loves his business most, he’ll say towards the end of the year. With a deluge of passengers, the transporters can’t complain because this is what they usually pray for anyway and they bring out new luxury buses, and possibly cars to ensure they serve travellers better this season.
The Igbos must travel for Christmas and why they do this still leaves people, especially of other ethnic groups wondering. What is most surprising is that Igbos who reside in developed nations always ensure they travel to their villages at festive periods; The villages do not boast of basic infrastructure or amenities as the developed countries where they reside.
An Igbo resident in Lagos simply wants to be identified as Tochukwu said that starting from the 24th of December till the first week of January of every year, it is expected that any Nigerian of Igbo parentage, who is also financially healthy, family-minded or properly birthed would be heading to his home town. “No real Igbo man would be seen comfortable or proud staying outside his home town at this period except employees who couldn’t secure a short vacation to travel.
“Like the feast of Passover of the Israelites, Igbos return home twice in a year- during the New Yam festival and Christmas/New Year celebrations. We return home not necessarily for the aforementioned ceremonies but for various developmental initiatives meetings and resolutions of existential family and community issues. We also go home to see our relations.
“In Nnewi where am from, In Nnewi, especially in the Ezeoguine Royal family, it is a ritual to go home from wherever one lives once a year. Any grown man who fails to return home at least during the Christmas period has invited a barrage of phone calls of “Odi kwa na Mma?”
“It is during these periods that we, Igbos return home to account for our efforts outside our hometowns. Everybody comes home with his madness, swagger, accomplishments and manifest symbols of achievement. That’s when we see the latest cars on the roads, new architectural designs in new houses and gadgets in phones and musical equipment. The womenfolk return with the latest fashion and hairstyles. And the villagers are willing to learn and upgrade,” he said.
Another Igbo, Chinedu Okeke, a trader said that about this time in Igbo towns, meetings are held at family, clan, village and town levels to discuss development projects. “As am talking to you, this is the time when scholarships are awarded to the brilliant but indigent students. Boys who had attended informal apprenticeship training were settled by their masters in the presence of their relations who also donated to support these new trading graduates who would henceforth be called “Oga”. Chieftaincy titles are awarded to distinguished citizens of the communities by their respective traditional rulers,” Okeke said.
In the same vein, Sunday Udeh, a businessman based abroad said that many of his pals said that they are coming back to show off their wealth and flaunt what they have. “It is believed that they travel to their villages to show off the wealth they have been able to accumulate over the years.
“Perhaps to change their dollar to Naira, boost their ego if only to, at least, derive, first, the joy of giving, and second, to prove that indeed, the grass is greener on the other side, but that life is not for me because I see no reason to flaunt my ego or show off wealth,” he said.
Chidimma Ekpa, who recently visited a loved one in Lagos said that one reason the Igbos travel home for Christmas is to ensure a family reunion. “It is common knowledge that the Igbos are very enterprising. They are migrant-entrepreneurs, who are noticeably out-going and immensely competitive. They prefer to leave their families and homes in search of greener pastures and live in the cities and foreign countries to seek ways to better their lot.
“They can live in the cities from the beginning of the year to the end without visiting home, but one thing most of them would not do, which am part of them is celebrate the Christmas season without my family or mark it, outside my hometown. Celebrating Christmas at home is considered typically cultural and it is curiously expected of anyone living in town or abroad to re-connect with the home people during Christmas,” she said.
Finally, during this period, Families discuss some pressing issues; sink grudges or resolve disputes and grievances. Town hall discussions are held and everyone makes suggestions on how they can work hard to bring development to their families and villages. At family meetings, ways to help one another are discussed extensively and where help is needed, a member of the clan who is capable of rendering such assistance, promises to do so.
With all these said, it is difficult to see a full-breed Igbo man not happy to stay with his clan for Christmas because it is said in an Igbo adage, “There’s no place like Home”
By Benprince Ezeh
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