Why are we celebrating Halloween, baby showers and other non-traditional festivals?

It was mesmerising to see banners advertising Halloween in October. More amusing was finding Halloween paraphernalia on sale in supermarkets.

Noted how baby showers have become common, never mind they happen before birth? Traditionally, we celebrated the birth of a child, not the anticipation.

Importing festivals

Maybe festivals are hard to create and market, and importing them makes economic sense. We even imported national prayer breakfasts, which have now been devolved. Importing festivals is not different from other imports, including religions and even names. Noted that modern kids have two ‘foreign names’, with each parent contributing one?

Interestingly, as we import festivals, we are also reviving other ceremonies and festivals.

In Central Kenya for example, becoming a man is being redefined by reviving ancient traditions on initiation. Even marriage ceremonies are going traditional, spicing up Western-style weddings.

There are others drivers of festivity. Some argue persuasively that festivals, imported or not, dovetail into our traditions. Every community had elaborate ceremonies from birth to death. New ceremonies/festivals easily fit into this framework.

This could explain why we dance so well, with each community focusing on a certain part of the body. My friends from Shamakhokho shake their shoulders, Zulus stomp on the ground – your community?

This also explains why Christianity has flourished in Africa; its ceremonies are similar to African ones, including Holy Communion.

Others argue that the popularity of festivals is a sign the economy is not doing that badly, and we have some disposable income.

But festivals are class conscious. Halloween is unlikely to be celebrated in Shamakhokho. Among the affluent, festivals and parties could be an indicator of extra income. For the hustlers, festivals and parties could be fundraisers – you do not just walk into baby shower to eat and guess the gender of the child.

Celebrating Western festivals could be a sign to your peers that you have come of age. The type of festivals you partake in are a proxy for status. Raise your hand if you have celebrated Halloween? A baby shower? Others?

Some ask in silence why we do not import festivals from the East. Why don’t we celebrate any Japanese, Chinese or Indonesian festivals? Diwali is Indian, but not celebrated in mainstream. Partaking in Western festivals is an indicator that despite all the talk of turning East, mentally, we are still facing West.

Other observers claim, we are learning from Nigerians who love living large. That is not entirely untrue. We imported a bit of their constitution into ours and, dare I say, leading to the paralysis in governance. Have you read the Nigerian constitution? And now their religions are thriving in Kenya, too.

Fertile ground

Loneliness could be creating fertile ground for festivals. The family size has reduced, which has made lots of people lonely, particularly when children are in school or the nest is empty. Festivals fill that void. Chamas serve the same purpose, ensuring companionship while investing.

We all love company. That is why Happy Valley, famous for its parties in the 1920s and 1930s, thrived. The settlers were lonely and needed each other’s company. The extreme behaviour was an aberration.

Could festivals be counterbalancing the extremes of Facebook and other social media? Maybe after WhatsApping and Facebooking, you want to see someone live-live, and festivals give you a chance to mingle.

Social media is wrongly named – it’s antisocial, denying us the chance to interact with each other as nature intended. Even with emojis, we shall never get a substitute for a real smile, or a close look into someone’s eyes.

Yet others think our obsession with festivals, including Christmas which has created traffic jams, shows we hate work and look for opportunities to relax and be happy. Truth be told, there are men and women who deserve a break, but many others extend their rest from the workplace to festivals, making life an endless party.

Some argue that festivals and ceremonies give us a chance to pause and reflect on our pilgrimage through this celestial ball as we await the final ceremony performed in our absence, when our enemies celebrate and friends cry as they wait for their final ceremony, too.

What festivals and ceremonies are you partaking in this festive season? Worried about your marginal propensity to save or consume?

As I was writing this, I got an invitation through WhatsApp to attend a ruracio (dowry negotiation). At the end of the entire story on directions and time and location, was: “Your prayers, presence and contribution will be highly appreciated.” Need I say more?

The writer is senior lecturer, University of Nairobi. [email protected]