By HENRY OKONKWO
for many, the holiday season is all about exotic foods and drinks, shopping, gifts, movies, parties and so much merriment. But even amidst the excitment of the yuletide, it is obvious that not everyone is preparing for December 25. Reasons could be that they adhere to different spiritual beliefs, or simply choose not to celebrate because of the kind of work they do, or even because they just cannot afford to make merry, owing to the harsh economic circumstance that they have found themselves in.
Mrs. Elsie Akerele, founder and caregiver at the Lady Atinuke Oyindamola Memorial Home (LAOMH) in Badagry, belongs to the class that does not join in the jollities of Christmas. Her home caters for abandoned children with various kinds of physical deformities, and mental challenges like epilepsy, autism and Down syndrome. And according to Akerele, she has over 30 physically and mentally challenged and abandoned children under her care this Christmas. Hence, Christmas days at the home is very demanding and leaves her no room to go join in the celebration of the yuletide. “If I go about enjoying Christmas who then would take care of them”, she shrugged with a smile. “All my staffers go home to enjoy the holidays with there families. So I’ll be left all alone with just one worker that is a Muslim. And together we take care of the 31 children left in the home.
Describing how she tries to pep up the day for the children, Akerele said that she just sits with the deformed children, singing and clapping for them in her bid to make the day unique for them. “Like every Christmas day, we’ll just stay in our home, singing and dancing. The ones among the children that are able to dance would dance along, while those that cannot dance would just sit and be watching us. That is all we would do, and that is our world for you”, she said gleefully.
“We have about 43 children in LAOMH. All those that have parents have been sent home while the 31 who don’t have anywhere to go, stay with me because they have no one to take care of them.”
Just like Akerele, Christmas is also going to look a lot different for beggars and homeless individuals. Some of them with the aid of an interpreter told Sunday Sun that Christmas does not hold any kind of fun for them. “I stand on the roadside begging, and watching many people enjoying themselves,” said a Mushin beggar, who identified himself as Ilu Chidawa from Bauchi State. “There is nothing much for me and my family on that day than to still come out and beg for alms.”
According to Chidawa, begging on Christmas is special because they get a lot of gifts and foods from people. “Unlike any other day, people seem more generous on Christmas. So we sit and wait for people bringing different food packs and drinks to us. Such gestures make us happy,” he said.
Similarly, another beggar at Mushin, Aminatu, said that Christmas is just another day to come out and beg for food. “If I don’t beg on Christmas, what would I eat? Would you come and give me food in my house?” she asked rhetorically while counting her rosary. “I cannot sit in my house and be sleeping. I have to come out to beg because that is what I have to do to feed.”
For some persons, the buzz of Christmas celebrations is dampened when duty calls. And security officers belong to this class. This is because they have no option than to stand guard at their posts during the yuletide. Mr. Omale Mohammed, manager of Greenlakes Security belongs to this class of individuals. According to him, his job as a security man and supervisor supersedes the celebration. “That day, I must do my work,” he told Sunday Sun. “I will have to go and check on all our men manning their posts to ensure that they are there guarding facilities, properties and business interests of our clients.”
When asked if his family would not complain about his work, he simply said that they have come to understand the situation and even encourage him. “My family realises that my duties come first before any form of celebration. So until I finish my security work there is no Christmas celebration for me,” Mohammed said.
Although the concept of Christmas on December 25 is hinged on celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, not every Christian denomination agrees with this. Followers of the God’s Kingdom Society (GKS) are among the sect that would have nothing to do with the blitz and glamour of Christmas. Thus they avoid going for events with large gatherings, and even shun receiving gifts in other to ensure that they do not participate in the festivities under any guise.
Explaining their reason for this, the Station Minister of GKS Lagos Zone, Bro Timothy Esimagbele, said their doctrine teaches that Jesus Christ was not born on December 25, hence the celebration of his birth should not be observed on that day. “December 25 otherwise called Christmas is a day for idol worship and worshipers used the day to celebrate idolatry,” he said.
Esimagbele argued that the birth of Christ falls and should be celebrated in October, “The Holy Bible shows clearly that Jesus Christ was born in the month of October. This could be ascertained by knowing the time Zacharias the priest officiated in the temple, the time of conception of John the Baptist and the time Jesus Christ was conceived. No one can tell the particular day in October that Jesus Christ was born because there is no record to that effect. But, we in the GKS say only what we can prove with the Bible.
“Again the fact that churches observe the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in April, confirms that his birth could not have been in December. He was killed in April, which is Nisan or Abib, the first month of the Jewish year, when the Feast of Passover or unleavened bread was celebrated.
“Also we all agree that Jesus Christ lived for 33 and half years. Now, let us assume that he was born in December as the churches teach. It will mean therefore that his 33rd birthday anniversary fell in December, and six months later, he was slain in June. But this is not true rather his 33rd birth anniversary should be October, six months later, would be in April, which is the correct position.
“Unfortunately, some Christians changed the date as the birth of Jesus Christ. Originally, Christmas had nothing to do with Christ, but an idol. So those who celebrate on that day are celebrating the idol,” he reiterated.