THEDIARYGAME SEASON 3 FOR 1/1/2022||MY MEETUP WITH @ESSYGOLD, @MEYMEYSHOPS AND OTHERS||ATTENDING THE TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE OF MY NIECE||MY FATHER AND HIS FAME||10% TO @STEEMWOMENSCLUB

Hello dear friends and fellow women in steemwomens club community, I welcome you all to yet another episode of my stay in my village Ndi Ebe Abam in Arochukwu Local Government Area, Abia state. In this my post, I told us how I visited the proposed palm plantation which is being cleared, and my visit to my late father's rice farm land. I also told us how I went to our Igwu river and swam.

Today is another story of how I got visited by my fellow women steemians who came from the same state and their village is close by mine. I also attended the traditional marriage ceremony of my niece, a daughter of my step sister. I will also tell is a little about my father and his fame when he was alive. I believe you are going to find this story interesting. Don't stop reading because you are going to be thrilled by it. Please keep reading and tell me what you think at the comment section.

THE VISIT OF @ESSYGOLD, @MEYMEYSHOPS AND OTHERS

It was that faithful day in my village, that Saturday, 1st January, 2022 when I finally got the massage from @essygold that they will visit my village.

I had invited them over ever since I learned that they were in their village, Ohafia which is just about 20 kilometers away from my own village. I told them that they could visit me in the village because I knew I was going to travel.

When I got to my village, I contacted them and they decided to visit on that 1st. That same day happened to be the day that my step sister's daughter was being married. Because we were not staying in the same compound, I didn't really take part in the food preparation but my other step siblings did and step mother's. Step mother's? Just wait a minute, I will be right back.

In the morning ours of that day, we took tea and bread for breakfast. I later got dressed to go down to my father's compound and see how things were going. But on a second thought, I decided to dress up for the wedding at once because I may not have the time to go back home. As I was about to dress up, I saw a massage from @essygold that they were on their way to my village.

I got dressed to go to my father's compound before they will arrive. On my way going out of the house, I got a call from her that they have gotten to our village river. Wow 😲😲,they were close already. I went out and directed them. I just took them to our house but we didn't waste time there. I had to go with them to my father's compound where they saw how the marriage preparation was going on.

They were already done with the food preparation. I just took food from the one prepared and gave them along with water and drink. We prepared a locally grown rice since we are known for that.

I sad with them and answered some questions @essygold asked about steemit. After they were done, I took them around and showed them some places though not all because they were in a hurry to go back. Since the marriage ceremony had not started, they couldn't attend. They left after we took some pictures. See below 👇👇👇

As soon as they were gone, I stayed at the canopy where the marriage was going to take place. It was in our village field just in front of my father's compound. But the bites from insects couldn't allow me to stay with the cloth I went back home to dress on another attire that will cover me up. I wore trouser and top and still went with long sleeve. The marriage was surely goin to enter night.

While on my way back to the field, the ceremony started.

MY NIECE'S TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE

Traditional marriage in my village is usually very brief but meaningful. The major things done are to invite the members of the high table to take their seat, followed by opening prayer, then the kola is shared. After the bride will be invited with a special song for her to come and welcome guests, she came with powder which she will rub on guests to indicate her acceptance of them to the ceremony. She will be dressed on a different attire just for that. See pictures below 👇👇

You can see I and the bride on her attire with traditional beads adorned to welcome the guests with her powder in a tray. She danced around while doing that, she was escorted by her little friends who danced with her. If she apply the powder on you, you will give her a gift in cash. That is what is expected from all. It was amazing!

Soon after she went round with the powder, she went back to dress on her second attire for the occasion, the both parents were invited separately to occupy their seats. They were ushered in with different music. Guests have them gifts in cash as they danced in. Then the groom was invited. A special music was played for him and his friends and they danced in. They really danced. He was also given gifts in cash by those who admired him dance around.

Next, the bride was ushered in again. In this stage, the father of the bride will hand the bride a cup of wine. He will tell her to go and search for the groom that she showed him as her husband so that everyone present will bear witness that she has married and then see who the husband is. She will then move round the place in search of the husband. The husband will seat in an unsuspecting area to enable her search thoroughly. As she passes by, some men will be inviting her to give them the drink, that they are the choosen one. Well, if she gives the drink to another man, that will be the end of the marriage. So finally, she found the husband, handed him over the cup of wine and he drank. Then he replaced the wine with some cash, gave back to her and the accompanied her to her father who then gave them his blessings.

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That is the main thing that happened. Other things were, dance! Dance!! And dance!!! By both the bride and groom and of course everyone who cared. Food was served and we went back home. It was late, around 7:30pm.

You can watch the videos below 👇👇 to feel the occasion

The first video is when she was invited in the first time while the second video is her send time she was invited in

MY LATE FATHER AND HIS FAME

My Late Father was the village chief of staff when he was alive, second only to the village king who was his best and close friend till the day he died. Even the king died not long after my dad died.

He, I mean my late dad was a great man then. He was a great famer of rice, yam, maise, and other farm produce. He was the most famous farmer among his contemporaries which earned him so many awards and popularity all around both locally in my village and it's environs. Hardly will you mention his name and they will not take you to him. Even till now his name still rings like bell.

He owned so many farm lands but the most famous was the AKARAKA FARM where he cultivated rice. Please refer to my last diary to watch the video of the vast expanse of his rice farm land. He became very wealthy to the point that he married so many wives who assisted with the farming. I could remember in those days when every morning, workers will line up in front of our house please with my father to higher them to work in his farm. Them out own job was to prepare food and take to the workers in the farm. With time, we even built a farm house in the AKARAKA FARM where we prepare the food for them.

Being a chief of staff, he was the chief judge of those who committed crimes of all kinds. If after the judgement, the offender is guilty, he or she will be given the punishment he deserved. If it is a theft case, the person will dance around necked in the village along with whatever he stole and so many other punishment that was given to them then.

He married 6 wives that am aware of apart from concubines. My mother happened to be the third but she was the one that gave birth to the second son. The first done to my father is currently the personnel manager at Prestige cusmetics Limited, Lagos State

That is his Facebook page. You can see his name. My own nee name is Ngozi Okoko Awo. While my father's name is Chief Okoko Awo. His son was named after him. Infact, the current king of my village was also named after him, while our inlaw that just married my niece was as well named after him. That is what usually happens. When someone is famous, people will love to name their child after that person.

This is the little I can go about the story. There is more to it but that will be at another occasion. The story will be unfolding as time goes on.

CONCLUSION

Welcome back from my diary. I believe you enjoyed the story? Thank you all for reading through. I still have more things that took place in my village which I may likely share with you again if I have the time. I love you all