SEC-S17W3: "National Festival"

Greetings dear friends,
It's another day to write in the Steemit engagement challenge for season 17 and I'm delighted to share my entry. This week the topic of discussion is National Festival.

Source

Every nation in the world has a day or more set aside for some special celebration and this celebration is what we call the national celebration of the country because it is observed nationwide. Here in my country Nigeria we also have some days set aside for special celebrations and I would like to share one of them with us today.

What is the national festival of your country? How did it start

The national festival of my country which I would like to discuss today is the festival of Freedom or independence. Before the 1960s, we were under the control of the colonial masters, and that sized the freedom of Nigerians.

On October 1st, Nigeria got her independence which made her free from all forms of external influences and that is where the celebration started. So every first day of October, the country declares it a work-free day where people will have to converge in some public places like stastadiums to have fun and celebrate this victory.

During this festival, people from different parts of the country in any state find themselves presenting their dance, food, and other things that they know how to do best. So we get to see the diverse culture in Nigeria every time this celebration is done.

I have always stayed in the Army barracks during this celebration and there is what we call the battalion dance which is done on that very day. During this dance and presentation, you will see the Hausa, the Igbo, the Yoruba, and many other tribes displaying the beauty of their culture, and at the end, they will come together to make a display showing we are all one Nigerians.

How is this festival celebrated? Are there any special rules for celebrating it?

As far as I know, the festival is always celebrated every first day of October and all that needs to be done is to inform the heads of various tribes beforehand to get themselves prepared for the display they will be making on that very day.

Since the population and tribe are large and it is just a day celebration, anywhere the play or display is going to be held, those who want to showcase their culture will have to register and then join the competition.

At the end of the entire display, those who perform outstandingly will go home with some prizes in the form of money and other materials to aid their growth. So this makes the different culture to practice beforehand for the occasion.

Are there any special outfits or foods for celebrating your national festival?

Yes, there are special outfits for this celebration. I said earlier it's always done in the form of a competition hence all the different tribes will always appear in an outfit representing their own culture.

Source

Also, there are always different foods available for the celebration as the different tribes and cultures always come out with their best food and they will also do competitions in that regard to see who wins. It is a day where you eat a lot and also test different foods.

The festival is always a very lively one and nobody will want to miss it for any reason because you will have the opportunity to learn about others and also meet new people with different cultures from yours.

Tell us about your favorite memory from celebrating your national festival.

On the occasion of the 2020 celebration of this festival, I was still in school and that was the first time I was celebrating this very wonderful festival outside the barracks. It was done beautifully because students handled the entire activity.

Source

I saw a lot of students who were very passionate about their culture and that got me thinking because I don't know much about my culture since I didn't grow up with my people. I joined the Igbo culture during that celebration because I'm Igbo by tribe and I learned a lot during that period from them.

After days of practicing, I was part of the dancers that were choosing to display on that very day. The entire activity seemed very beautiful and sweet to me that day because we danced and then did other functions which made the crowd join my tribe in the celebration.

I had lots of fun on that day like never before because everything was done so beautifully and I enjoyed myself to the fullest for the first time since I participated in the activities.

I want to invite @solaymann @msharif and @pelon53 to join this contest if they have not shared their participation already.