January Events

 12th January 2024. 

Wake up around 12:45 am, saw nothing, and heard nothing in the form of images, sounds, or dreams. That has become a kind of normality in my sleep these days. It's becoming a source of stress for me these days. I mean presence or lack of images. It's even look out for a thing these days.

Yeah, I remember seeing something that I can't recall anything about anymore. I am not sure if it is even a dream (for I don't dream) or I suspect, one of those human-sent images that abound these days. I don't know which is which anymore, I don't care much anyway. Started my morning prayers around ten minutes later. It lasted till 2:10 am. 

Yesterday, I attended a traditional marriage of one guy from a neighboring village based in Europe(7th of the month already) with a hell of young European guys and their better halves in attendance. It was something else to compare to about seven other dry weddings, anniversaries, and naming ceremonies that have graced this young month already. Those that concerned me somehow. Countless others are going on elsewhere in almost every other towns.

I am not good at attending these January events but it seems that attraction to these traditional things has something to do with age, responsibilities, and debt payments. Obligation and reciprocity can be something else at times from what I can notice with my life these days. But in general, I am feeling good, really good these days.

This euro-based traditional wedding ceremony celebrant is something that opened my eyes to how things are on both sides of the divide. You can always know the state of things in the life of people who attend these traditional weddings this January. Some, their season is overflowing while some are in an acute drought. So dry that everything is cracking in their lives.

 I can't fail to notice that the culture of the people here is shaped somehow by the power the church has on the people and the society we are in. When you hear that the church is separated from the culture, believe them but just know that it's a church that shapes to a great extent culture when you take how packed the Januarys have become for the past three decades these days.

All these January jam-packed events used to be staged in December by those who came back for the Christmas holidays. They used the opportunity to do all they wanted to do and by the second of January, the countryside looked as dry of humans as it was before the middle of December. The priests seem to be overwhelmed and Christmas festivals seem to have lostitheircance to traditional ceremonies so they sat down to redraft their church laws and came out with once it's the middle of December, nothing that warrants priests coming to do or announcing allowed. All are out of bounds, and on hold till the second of January upwards.

That's how January came to be so relevant again that people are forced by that change of date and services by the priests to stay after Christmas into almost the twentieth of January. People do have an ave choice but to stay around and attend all these celebrations before heading back to their various bases.

I attended the twenty-fifth anniversary of my former classmate that is Reverend sisters based in Ghana. This lady was so intelligent during our primary school days and cool-headed that everyone was surprised when she decided to marry Jesus instead of a rich guy everyone knew that girls like that are destined to. She is serious with Christ.

People were many, lost faces as I call them on that anniversary. Most of them are people I saw last forty years ago and I am surprised most of them still remember me. In my mind's eyes, I still see the women's faces as kids they were then. Almost all have stopped giving birth, some of them, are even grandmothers now. Surprised they still remember me too. I saw my little Grace, she is now a grandmother. Life is a funny thing at times. My little grace a grandmother?

 Situations of people are what you will know through these few days of January each year.  You could not believe it that about two or more traditional weddings with fixed dates were canceled at the last minute by one of the celebrants especially the girl's family on cases I knew of on flimsy excuses of being beaten by yet-to-be-formalised husbands and things like that. But I think the reasons go deeper than domestic misunderstanding. Weather is not only dry, pockets and wisdom are in acute shortages too this January.

Funny, the kinds of tales this January come with too. One was left hanging by the husband's family side when the wife's side had guests far and near and when it started getting dark and the husband was nowhere to be found, the wife's side attended to the guest and they went back home. All the phone calls directed at the husband and his family went unanswered. I happened to be one of those guests and my observation is that January has come with its subtle problem i am sure not many missed the main reason for that gathering. 

These traditional ceremonies and anniversaries have turned into a kind of competition and their results are not hidden. If these priests don't do something about jam-packed months soon, something serious, something more than abandonment would start happening. It's not something to be grateful for I tell you the truth. 

Finished recording this entry around 2:30 am sure I missed some of yesterday's events that would still find their way into today's recording as they appear from their hiding places. Not even half of the month yet, my more than thirty-something pages have gone from this new diary book. And, events are lined up till the first of next month. Many burial ceremonies too. Not all singing and dancing, there is mourning too. Two days ago, I attended two requiem masses. Many are still lined up this month.