The Christmas season is here again. So are the variations in the celebration and the diverse expectations of the people. Across the world, there are different reactions to this year’s yuletide. In Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, celebrations had to be put on hold for the security of the residents. No thanks to the war in their passage. The initial ceasefire from the war between Israel and Hamas did not extend to the Christmas period. And there is no haven, as hospitals are not spared in the frequent bombing of the affected territory. But in other areas of the world where there is no large-scale war, people celebrate despite challenges. Part of the challenges that they have to cope with is the high cost of food items. For instance, rice is a delicacy in Nigeria, as in most parts of the world. Here children would expect parents to cook rice on Christmas Day, even if that could not be provided all round the year. But a bag of 50 kilogrammes of rice had risen from about N30,000 earlier in the year to over N60,000 by the time Christmas bells started chiming.
That is not the only thing that has been caught up by inflation. The cost of fabrics have gone up, shoes are rather too costly in the market, and mothers now groan over the cost of preparing a pot of soup. Yet, children expect that Christmas food will be different from the everyday meal. The father who has a job, and still gets a salary, nurtures a headache on how to balance the budget from a minimum wage that has remained static for many years. So, how will parents treat their children this season? We went to town to find out what parents will be cooking for the season. The response is a reflection of the frustration that pervades the populace, even as parents still want to give their children a semblance of a treat at Christmas.
For Abiodun Adeleke, a civil servant, he would not break the bank to please the children. He said, “I will talk to them, if my expectations are not met before Christmas. We can eat other foods like amala or semovita.” So, what is this expectation that he hoped would be met before Christmas? He said the government used to share rice for workers ahead of celebrations like Christmas. This year, he said the thing was coming late. According to him, a lot of people were already losing hope of getting the Yuletide largess. He said that going by the price of rice in the market, the only way he could provide rice for his family is if the government shared the food. Otherwise, he said, he would tell his children that there is nothing special about rice. For Cletus Isong, an electrician, there is no excuse for him not to provide rice for his children who are between the ages of four and 20 years. He feared that they would feel inferior among their peers if it was discovered that they could not eat rice in their house. Isong, therefore, said he would do everything possible to provide rice for the season. He is, however, concerned that doing that may affect the payment of their school fees in January. While Joseph Odebiyi, Welder and Cement Dealer would also provide rice for his children, he would settle for “fufu from the cassava I will harvest from my farm”. He likes pounded yam or semovita, as alternatives. The provision of rice would be to meet the needs of the children and his neighbours. Odebiyi is not thinking yet about school fees for the children when they resume in January.
He shares something in common with Lateef Ajao, Retired Soldier, who will provide rice for the children because that is what they like to celebrate with. Olaoluwa Akinola, a business woman, will be cooking something different. For her, the concern is not about the cost of rice. Rather, it is because the food is too common, and she believes that she should give her family a treat for the season. She decided to prepare salad, and according to her, if anybody should serve her rice, she would eat it, but it would not be prepared in her house. For Ibadan based Deborah Valentine and Nike Akinpelu, who lives in Abeokuta, rice is it, though in variation. While the former voted for Cat fish Pepper soup with rice, the latter will not just cook rice, she would present her family with Ofada rice and pepper stew with snails. To show that the high cost of rice would not impede celebrations in homes this season there are many people who believe that not cooking rice is not a class suicide. As a matter of fact, some believe that rice has become overrated among the foods available for the family in the country. One such person is Joshua Oguntade, a furniture maker. He said, “What I have in mind for Christmas is pounded yam. We are from Ekiti , and you know what that means when it comes to food. Rice is not compulsory, it has. been overrated for all these celebrations.” Oguntade has the support of people like Damilola Adigun, Bukola Badaru, both in Ogun State and Olagoke Olaniyan and Olabisi Joseph (Osun State) who cherish any choice of pounded yam, amala or semovita.
What this indicates is that whatever the cost of food items, parents will go out of their way to give their children a treat, and also make themselves happy. So, the cost of food notwithstanding, people would satisfy the needs of the family within the means of the breadwinner. Additional reports by Idowu Michael and Johnson Oyeyemi
