Hello everyone, compliments of the season once again, I hope you are all having lots of fun this Christmas holiday because as for me, I'm enjoying myself and I love sharing the memories with you all, so I'm bringing to you a picture narration of my fun filled day.
MORNING ACTIVITY
Since it was a Sunday, I had to wake up early so as to be in church. As a worker in church, I had to resume before 8am and I kept to time. We started with worker's meeting before Sunday school. Also, it was a Thanksgiving day in my parish, so we had to thank God for keeping us till the end of the year. In the service too, a baby was dedicated, and when it was time for the couple to testify, people stood up to rejoice with them. According to them, they had been married for 21 years, and this was their first baby with 5 failed IVF, so it was an emotional time. After the church service, the church decided to share the little they had to members which was uncooked rice measured in bags and condiment to go with it. I also got mine.
My Christmas rice from church
In church, I'm on black top with red skirt
An emotional moment for the couple, it was a wonderful thing, having a child 21 years after marriage
The pastor dedicating the baby
AFTERNOON ACTIVITY
When we closed from church, I went home, ate and rested a little. Then my friend started calling me to come over to Christmas village, we had planned not to miss it because we only saw pics on Facebook last year, so we decided to be a witness this year. I went to meet her there. There was a tremendous outpouring of support for the Uruan people, it was as if the whole Akwa Ibom had come out to witness the display of their culture. I didn't even know which particular part to capture but I captured few.
The mbopos ( young mothers after childbirth who are fed to be fat)
I think this was their obonganwan (queens)
There were over 5 different set of women with uniforms
The men in their own uniform
There were different sets or types of masquerades there, and it wasn't the regular masquerade. Some were very scary and they had to be controlled by others who knew their rules.
This is one of the masquerades, tho very long but at a stage, it lay on the ground and was as flat as a perforated balloon, and people were confused if there was a person inside cos when it became flat, it was like paper, and one wonders what happen to the person inside at that particular time.
Another masquerade or Ekpe with mirror all over it's body
This other Ekpe was scary, the people controlling it carried something like a steering and wherever it turned to, they controlled the Ekpe with the steering
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE URUAN PEOPLE
Uruan is one of the local government in Akwa Ibom state. It is close to the river or can be said to be partly riverine area so the uruan people are fishermen, and they also trade, farm and hunt. They believed in a deity called Atakpor and the Ekpe was used as a way of disciplining people and for entertainment. The practice of mboppo was meant for only virgins who later got married and gave birth. They are kept in the fattening room and fed well after giving birth. Oil is used on their bodies which makes their skin shiny and they are never slim due to the rest they take and the fact that they are well fed.
Mboppo
Canoe for fishing
With my friend in Uruan day, behind us, the buzzing crowd
EVENING ACTIVITY
I later parted ways with my friend cos it was getting late and I needed to get to plaza to purchase some things. So she went her way, while I went my way. On getting to plaza, there was no network in uba and I needed to buy some things. I had already picked some slippers but I couldn't pay since there was no network. I decided to leave but I was shocked to my bones when the guy I had never met or known before asked me to go with the shoes and send the money later through transfer. So I left with it, it was two slippers totaling 6000 naira, that is equivalent to the price of 16 Steem and then I couldn't just pass by a man selling novels. I stopped by and picked two with the little money I had which was 1,200 for the two, equivalent to the price of 3 steem . I was supposed to give him 1,400 but I explained the uba network issue to him. I got home late and immediately refreshed and ate my dinner which was fufu and atama soup.
Latest addition to my library
My new slippers
My dinner
That was how my day went, a busy but fulfilled day. Thank you for having me here and encouraging me to share my day with you.
Wishing you a very beautiful Christmas and a blessed 2025.