I fall in the category of individuals who were not born and bred in their hometown and didn't get to visit until much later when they were all grown up.
That's my story..
I am from Imo State in Nigeria and I was born in Lagos State and I was raised there, even though I knew where I was from, I didn't think that I actually had to go visit my hometown at least once if possible.
I finally got to travel home to the eastern part of Nigeria when I was 10 years old and it was an important event that required the whole family to travel home and it fell during the festive season which made the first time experience more fun for me.
We embarked on the journey by road and it was my very first time making such a long trip especially by road and I couldn't contain my eagerness and happiness throughout the journey.
We spent the day on the road because of some delay we encountered which delayed us and set us back by a few hours.
We arrived at the bus park by 8pm that day, by then we were already tired and stressed out from the long journey.
During my stay there, I learnt new things about my tribe and what they do.
I learned that Igbos are mainly farmers who practice both commercial and subsistence farming.
In my hometown, some families have a farm that is located very close to their home which is used by the family and there's another one, the one that is used mainly for commercial purposes. Not every family practice this as people prefer to do what they think is best for them.
I was amazed at that, it explained why my Mother loves gardening so much and how she knows so much about different crops and weeds and flowers because she grew up doing such things and as a result has an extensive knowledge of the whole concept of farming.
I grew up in the city and I don't know much about farming except what I was taught in school. :)
I also witnessed different traditional festivals that were celebrated, especially the very popular masquerade festival.
In some parts of Imo State like Orlu, women and female children are not allowed outside during these masquerade festivals because it is believed to bring bad luck and the anger of the gods upon the community.
In the old days, it was considered to be a taboo and there were serious punishments meted out on erring women because it was believed she was trying to get the gods angry at everyone.
With the rise of Christianity and the widespread acceptance, the concept has lost some of its lustre because people don't believe in the old gods anymore but the belief still hangs and women are still prevented from witnessing the masquerade festival.
I witnessed a masquerade festival from afar though it's not really a tradition in my hometown, everyone can witness it male and female alike, young and old too and it's really entertaining.
I also got to experience a traditional harvest celebration. Churches in Nigeria celebrate harvest bazaar annually and it's usually celebrated at the end of the year and in my hometown, the villagers have a different way of celebrating.
There was a lot of dancing and display of acrobatics by different traditional dancers especially the popular atilogwu dance during the bazaar celebration, there were different kinds of traditional delicacies and a lot of the villagers trooped to watch.
It was a fun experience for me.
WHAT MAKES US STAND OUT..
There are a lot of things that make Igbos stand out wherever they are.
Firstly, Igbos are naturally enterprising and this is a known fact. Igbos are always business oriented and know how to make profit out of almost anything and it's why there are a lot of successful Igbo people all over the world today.
Igbos are also known to be expert traders. Out of ten Igbo people, eight are usually traders and it has gained recognition worldwide for Igbos in general.
There's also the popular acrobatic dance called Atilogwu. This is a very rigorous and energetic form of dance involving a display of different acrobatic skills by the dancers. It takes a lot of practice before one can become a popular atilogwu dancer. I always wondered how they managed to dance with all that energy and vigour.
The Igbo culture is a very rich culture and I love everything about it.
I haven't visited my hometown in a very long time due to the fact that I am a city girl and I am not ready just yet to adapt to life there so I only travel if it's really important for me to.
It doesn't stop me from loving my tribe any less.
Thank you for reading! ✨
Thanks for sharing about your tradition, I have learnt a few things.
Of course, if you did not mention that part I would have been disappointed, lolz. Ona too good for money matters abeg, I raise hand for ona, hehe.
😅. It's not something that can be missed.
Thank you for your feedback.
I just saw your cover image I knew you were Igbo 😂, it does not hide at all.
Well, we can't exactly hide. 🙂
Extraordinary customs in your area .. I really salute and happy to see it
Thank you very much. 🥰
Yay! 🤗
Your content has been boosted with Ecency Points, by @stellageorge.
Use Ecency daily to boost your growth on platform!
Support Ecency
Vote for new Proposal
Delegate HP and earn more