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Christmas festivities have passed, so your family might start to get bored in the village. If you are now going through a very predictable routine, you need to shake things up. The village can be so much fun for everyone!
Here are a few ways to have fun with your family in the village this festive season:
Picnic on the farm
As always during festive season, people in most parts of the country
have moved from the cities to their hometowns, to visit family and friends.
This period, members of the family get to catch up with one another after
many months of being busy and apart.
Photo Credit: nationwideradiojm.com
If you are used to going to cinemas or staying indoors in your city home, try something more organic in your hometown. Consider taking your party Jollof, soup or any other homemade meal to your farm or garden, and having an outdoor meal under the shade with family. You can also add local snacks to your picnic like roasted cashew nuts, okpa, kpekere, chin chin and baba dudu. Show the kids around: let them see what their food looks like before it is harvested and processed. Sip some palm wine and make merry. The relaxed mood creates the perfect time to bond and catch up on all the family gist.
Try Out New Food
Another fun way to be with family this year is experimenting with food. We all understand that the Nigerian Festive season is incomplete without staples like Jollof rice, fried rice, eba, pounded yam, amala, e.t.c. However, it’s fun to make your kids try food they’ve never had before. Find recipes and make them together or go out together to experience real local cuisine.
Play old games
Photo Credit: objectlessons.org
Old games never age. You can play board games, card games or even very old video games. The village is a good place to hoard these little treasures. Teach the kids some local games like Ayo, boju boju, suwe, ten-ten, etc.
Get involved in cultural activities
Photo credit: Kuba masked dancer, DR Congo by carolbeckwith-angelafisher.com
Sometimes, the village bubbles with community social events. Some of which include the masquerade parade, carnivals, cultural dance displays, new yam festival, etc. Indeed, some young members of the family may not have attended a proper traditional wedding feast before. If an opportunity like this arises, take it.
There are also a lot of side attractions. For instance, your village or a nearby one may have streams, caves, forests, or a mysterious ditch with a back story. This is certainly going to be a treat for the kids as well because they are learning something new. Please confirm safety before going!
Learn a new craft
Being in the village gives you time to do other fun things you may never have the chance to do in the city, like learning or at least observing a craft. For example, pottery; sculpting; mat and basket weaving; tie and dye; red palm oil milling; frying of garri; palm wine tapping.
The best part? You can do these things with little or no money at hand. Enjoy the rest of your holiday!