hajia

There are quite a few experiences that humans of all races and cultures share. Among them is celebration or merry making on particular days for particular events. These celebrations must have originated from the early days of humanity and they serve as a kind of reunion events for family members. Judging by their history it is safe to say that such celebrations predate all religions. But today most of our celebrations are based on religion. And here is a roll of those we have in my part of the world:

Babbar Sallah or Eid el Kabir
Karamar Sallah or Eid el Fitr
Cika ciki or Thanks Giving
Taku Tuha or Maulud

The first two are by far the most important and as such are packed with more activities. It is akin to a carnival complete with processions and brightly clothed horsemen parade. At home the occasion is marked after careful planing. Long before the d-day families budget the gifts to distribute, who to invite, the clothes to wear and the food to prepare. Relations coming down for the event are also ascertained.
Gift giving has become a norm but with apparels dominating the budget. Relations and family members form the bulk of the beneficiaries. Giving gifts to friends is mostly restricted to occasions like weddings or naming ceremonies. Children have clothes sewn for them as a rule and except for the fancy kid glasses or kid wrist watch, toys are out of the question. Wives too would have clothes given out to them long before the event and husbands will sew for themselves.
In the area of food every house cooks variety of dishes to fit the occasion. Most of the night would beused to do the cooking but normally with the help of those relations who have arrived forthe occasion. Rice dish features prominently in various forms ranging from plain white with stew to jollof and tuwo balls. Meat range from beef to chicken in roasted and cooked in stew varieties. Cakes, donuts, spring rolls, meat pies and other snacks would also be prepared. All these will be laid out along with the fruits in season.
No one eats in the morning until after people return from the praying ground. The food is then laid on the carpet for the family to sit down and eat. And then the banter starts with relations and friends.
Immediately after the meal those wishing to watch the parade and the horses will leave the house for strategic locations that give good a view. This is called durba and it is the main attraction for Sallah.

This signboard speak volumes of the irony behind the BORYAM scandal which had to do with a short video clip of a Kannywood film star (Maryam Hiana) having intercourse with her male friend. Circulation of the clip caused an upheavel in the North and in the local film industry that culminated in the draconian measures adopted by the Kano state government to curb the excesses of the players. But believe it or not the above clearly shows what pundits call "one man's food is another man's poison". The signboard stands by a busy side street in KT and whenever I drive by, I wonder what those irate youths in Bauchi, who were said to be looking for Hiana, to kill, would do when they see it. In fact they once trailed a Hiana look-alike and nearly butchered her. It never occurred to them to equally look for Bobo, the man who shot and acted in the porn clip.
Many bloggers from the North commented on the scandal and most were sympathetic to the girl. You may check this and this and this and this.
You may also check this out and while you are at it, haven't you noticed some spelling mistakes on the signboard?

Labels: bobo, boryam, hiana, kannywood, maryam

I wish all my Muslim readers a happy Eid el Kabir. Those in Nigeria and elsewhere must now be busy with the slaughtered ram for the occasion. I am battling with my own too in the various ways we usually do: we fry, pot cook, barbecue, grill, rotisserate, morsel dry and grind for meat balls. Over the years we in KT have developed several exotic ways to use such meat and preserve it for long.
However the Sallah celebration has been stifled in KT: no horses, no march past, no costumed artists, no processions and naturally there was forlorn look everywhere. It is just unbelievable that a Sallah will come and pass in KT without the usual carnival atmosphere. But its true as days before the event stories leaked that there will be no horses or parades. And the only reason advanced was the failing health of the traditional ruler or emir of Katsina.
Initially I thought it was a huge joke especially after knowing that someone can easily be made to ride the horse on behalf of the emir. Several district heads who are advanced in age appoint others to ride and the show had always continued. This stopped me from making alternative arrangements. On the eve of Sallah it downed on me that it was no rumour and I made a hasty decision to go to Daura with my friends to watch the Sallah show there.
So to Daura we went in a 3 car convoy but this is another story. Let me however hasten to add here that the decision to put-off the horse parade etc was criticized across town. And the argument posited is that the Sallah festival is too big to equate with one individual. It is a pageant that is enjoyed by locals, visitors from other parts of the country and beyond our borders. For centuries the festival was celebrated and people enjoyed the show regardless of who mounted which horse.
Here is commiserating with KT people and their visitors who had come from far and near for having a black Sallah devoid of flutes and drums.