My family plans, decorates, and celebrates New Year's earlier because January 1st is always busy in the neighborhood. It's the D-Day for 'New Year' celebration, and every household serves the neighborhood food. So, food is always too much on the 1st of January. As you're taking food to each house, they're bringing their own as well. And since one can't eat beyond stomach, some of the food go to waste.
As a result, my family plans ahead, decorates, and celebrates on the last day of December. In fact, we're the only ones in the neighborhood who celebrate on the eve of New Year, and it's been like that for years. My mother is an early riser. So, we wake up as early as possible to decorate and cook simultaneously.
My sister and I are always in charge of the decorations. We unleash our creativity, transforming our home into a vibrant celebration space.
We adorn the living room and bedrooms with vibrant balloons and colorful streamers that add a touch of festivity to the atmosphere.
Intricate calligraphies and handmade paper decorations, crafted with love and care, ribbons elegantly blowing from the ceiling. Next, we focus on the outdoor canopy, set up the previous day. This is where we all sit with our friends in the afternoon.
We arrange comfortable chairs and tables, covered with bright tablecloths, and add a pop of color with fresh flowersur front door is transformed into a welcoming entrance with a beautiful wreath made from fresh flowers, leaves, and ribbons. The scent of fragrant flowers wafts through the air, inviting guests to join in the celebration.
Inside, our dining table is set with fine china, sparkling glasses, and elegant napkins. A stunning centerpiece, crafted with fruits, and flowers, adds a touch of sophistication.
While my sister and I are busy with decorations, others are cooking already, having sorted the pepper and ingredients the previous day. We mostly prepare 'Amala' (a Nigerian swallow made from yam flour) and 'Gbegiri' (a Nigerian soup made from beans). We also make alternative like: melon soup for those who prefer it. Children love rice, so we make jollof rice for them and anyone who cares for. What amazes everyone yearly is how early those decorations and food get ready and come out beautifully. By 8am, everywhere is already colorful and beaming with celebration. At the same time, we're already arranging plates and trays to place the food. In fact, we serve the neighborhood breakfast every new year Eve.
Since my sister and I do finish the decorations in no time, we always joiin the people who serve food from one house to another as we go in different directions. This is the most crucial stage. The brain of the servers must be set because they'll put food for about seven households on a tray, and one has to pay attention to where they're taking it. They'll say, 'The one with the blue cover to Janet's mum.' 'The one in the yellow plate to Rebecca's mom.' Oh, my God! How do you remember all this, even when their houses aren't in a particular order or on the same street? A plate of food can be for someone on street 'A' while you'll take a U-turn to give another on street 'D'. You must not make a mistake while serving the neighborhood. Why can't they just dish everything equally and serve round? I used to ask. No, it can't be, because while they serve some people two meats each, they generously serve their close friends four meats, giving us the headache of not mixing things up.
Once we're done serving, and they ask us to give an account of how we served, and their reaction, a knock on the head goes to anyone that stammers. Meaning the person has made a mistake. Thank God the celebration is done on New Year's Eve because nobody should receive that kind of knock on the first day of the year! Lol! We servers are always in a hurry to finish serving because no food for us until we finish serving. For real, it's always fun afterward. In the afternoon, friends and relatives comes to wish us a Happy New Year in advance. They sit under the decorated canopy while we serve them their preference and felicitate together.
All photos are mine.
