With West African Tallest Xmas Tree, Calabar Festival Lights Up Cross River

The season is here again. The annual Calabar Festival is gradually gathering momentum but the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony set the tone for the 32-day end of the year fiesta, reports Jude Okwe in Calabar…
The winter season is here with its cold and haze but Calabar, capital of Cross River State, will not stop having its groove. If you want to catch fun and adventure in the coast, then this is the place to be. Right from a clean environment, hospitable residents, exquisite hotels to efficient transport service, all you need is a pack of excitement to get there and say goodbye to 2013. And as you do, step into Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort for shopping and sightseeing; relax at the Marina Beach to watch the tide at the seascape dance against concrete embankment and have 24 hours fun at the Christmas Village where the final word is friendship.

Tree Lighting Ceremony
A foretaste to these activities was the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, which was performed by the state Governor Liyel Imoke. The colourful event took place on November 30 at the Millennium Park.

It heralded the commencement of the 32-day Calabar Festival, an end of the year fiesta that is loaded with a potpourri of social, cultural and economic activities that help to relax the mind and calm frayed nerves preparing you for a brand new year ahead. The Christmas Tree lighting ceremony was indeed colourful and attracted guests from far and near. This year’s event was unique. The tree is said to be the tallest in Africa. Imoke lit it up at exactly 12 midnight. The event witnessed a large turnout of people and kickstarted in earnest the 32 days jamboree. Invited guests were spotted busting into dance moves, grinning from ear to ear and exchanging thumbs up, hugs and congratulatory handshakes while listening to music provided by live bands on the erected stage. The list includes politicians, businessmen, tourists, comedians, Nollywood stars, youthful residents of the city, etc. In short, Nigeria’s glitterati graced the occasion, which the rains spared disruption.

Origin of Yuletide Tree

Christmas or yuletide tree has its origin in Germany in the 16th century where devout Christians decorated their homes and surroundings with evergreen conifer ranging from spruce, pine to fir akin to yuletide celebrations. It is usually an artificial tree made from polyvinyl chloride to give it a semblance of a natural tree. This tree is traditionally festooned with such decorations as apples, nuts or dates. The dynamic nature of science and technology ensured that in the 18th century Christmas Tree was now illuminated by candles, which with time gave to colourful lights that twinkle and sing to boot. And in line with its Christian origin, an angel or star is at the tip of the pyramid representing other angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity. In the 19th century, the Christmas Tree culture spread beyond Germany.

Its lighting is symbolic. The Evening of November 30 The starry evening of November 30th provided enough comfort for guests and residents to witness the event. With the streetlights on and the venue well illuminated, the arena was just the perfect place to begin the weekend. The ceremony was preceded by live band performances by up and coming artistes discovered during the auditioning for the festival. This group falls under ‘’Calabar Has Got Talent’’ category. They are encouraged to harness their talents and thus earn a living from it.

The waiting game for the governor and his entourage was soon over. At 10.10 pm, his convoy nosed into the venue. With the state song, National Anthem and prayer over, the ceremony commenced without much ado. On the governor’s entourage was a former military governor of the state, Air Vice Marshal Gregory Agboneni. Some comedians that entertained that night were at their best. Ace comedian I Go Die led the pack. His ribs cracking jokes left top government officials and their wives, the Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation Chief Edem Duke and night crawlers on the edge of their seats as the comic relief was the balm they needed to sooth their nerves after a hard day’s work. Nollywood Stars Nollywood stars that graced the occasion included daughter of the soil Kate Henshaw, Rita Dominic, Gideon Okeke, Bryan Okwara and many others. Some executive directors from First Bank Nigeria Plc were not left out. The Nollywood stars will float their own carnival band to entertain the people of Calabar and the world on carnival day.

The event is usually beamed live on notable cable television stations in the world. With music at the background for the ears and stage dance for the eyes, the event got into its groove with everybody in a state of ecstasy. Simply put: guests were treated to high octave entertainment that will linger in their memory for the rest of the festival. Imoke: This is the Place to Be At midnight, Governor Imoke symbolically lit the giant tree. He got a thunderous applause for it. This was accompanied by fireworks, which made the Millennium Park looked like a war front for the display of inter-ballistic missiles. “We remain that place in Nigeria where every Nigerian will be proud to be, where every Nigerian will say is one state in the country where you can see the governor walking about associating with his people. He is not afraid, he is part of the crowd, and the people are warm, happy and beautiful,’’ Imoke had said. He advised the young to rise above their inhibitions by discovering their musical talents and creativity so as to become self- reliant. He recalled vividly how a musical star from the state, Inyanya, and many others talents were discovered in shows staged in Calabar. Today, Inyanya, the Odukpani Local Government Area, Cross River State born artiste, has become a household name in Nigeria’s music industry. Imoke extolled the Calabar Festival, which he observed is a period of boom in the hospitality industry, economic and social activities. This makes the people happy as they smile to the banks. The festival, he added, provides that opportunity for the people to showcase their creativity in craft and memorabilia to earn income. It is one event that brings out the creative instincts of the citizens in a healthy competition. According to him, since the Calabar Festival and its star event, Carnival Calabar, have come to stay, innovation would remain the watchword. Every edition, he said, would throw up new activities-all to make the fiesta better given the intense competition by other states in the country.
As a crowd-pulling event, the governor explained that everything would be done to make it the best organised carnival in Africa, which in the main would attract more tourists and participants. Carnival Calabar, he added, had become a world brand as tourists every year continue to make enquiries about it coming down to participate. Thus, in Nigeria today, the two brands recognized by the world are Nollywood (home movie) and Carnival Calabar, he said. The tallest Christmas Tree, he maintained, would go down in Nigeria’s history as next to the biggest flag in Africa. The flag is hoisted at the Millennium Park waving at the cityscape of Calabar.

The pace is set, calabar knows how to rock it...