It’s a New dawn

Highlights

The New Year is celebrated traditionally with lots of drinks, eats and social interactions across West Nile

The day is revered due to the struggles people make within a year

By Felix
January 1, popularly known in West Nile as Bonne Anne is a day for Merry making in most families because people view it as a beginning of a year with hope and faith that their plans would be executed within that year.

Across the West Nile sub-region, families spent the night of December31 at hotels where fireworks were displayed.

Several hotels displayed spectacular fireworks accompanied by musical performances. At about 11:55, the announcers (MCs) started the count down and ordered revellers to have a standing ovation to await the new dawn-1st January to clock.

Mother’s braved the cold night with their babies accompanied by the men who sat on round table sipping beers and soft drinks.

As the count down continued to 12:00am, the fireworks of different scintillating displays kissed the skies. Ululations and music rocked the hotels after every burst of the fireworks.
In the past, especially in villages, people would smear their huts with cow dung with inscriptions of Happy New Year and fine artists would draw different pictures on the walls of the mud-watlle huts.

The families would change the grass that was thatched some years back. Families would save money for meat, which is divided during Christmas and December 31.

They would make traditional brews like Kwete, nguli or malwa to celebrate the day. Merry making starts in the wee hours till late.