The Citizen, 2010-12-23, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2010.
The Municipality of Central Huron Council and
Municipal Staff join together to wish you
peace and serenity this holiday season.
COUNCIL
REEVE
Jim Ginn
DEPUTY REEVE
Dave Jewitt
COUNCILLORS
Marg Anderson
Brian Barnim
Dan Colquhoun
Alison Lobb
Burk Metzger
Alex Westerhout
ADMINISTRATION
CAO: Kevin McLlwain, Clerk: Brenda MacIsaac, Director of
Finance: Terri Taylor, Brenda Armstrong, Belinda Axford,
Cindy Denomme, Steve Doherty, Judy Dixon, Jane Harris,
Sheryl Moran,Sharon Romphf, Deb Stephenson, Angela Smith.
FACILITIES DEPARTMENT
Facilities Manager: Steve Campbell
Doug Dolmage, Shawn Gautreau, Mike Ladd, Bev Marriage,
Sabrina Baldwin.
BUILDING DEPARTMENT - PROTECTIVE SERVICES
Chief Building Official: Lesley Adams, Andy DePutter,
Fire Chief: Steve Cooke, Bylaw Officer: Bruce Brockelbank,
Animal Control Officer: Bob Trick.
ROADS DEPARTMENT
Roads Manager: Tom Sinclair
Jason Cox, Ritchie Cox, Roger Cunningham, Mike Dixon,
Ian Hulley, Jim Johnston, Randy Marriage, Stan McClure,
Rick Pickett, Mark Wallace, Curtis Blake.
UTILITIES/CLINTON POWER CORPORATION
Utilities Manager: Steve Gibbings
Greg Mayhew, Mark Krahn, Adam Wilson, Ian Koetsier,
Craig Snell.
THE MUNICIPALITY
OF CENTRAL HURON
PLEASE NOTE:
THE MUNICIPAL OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2010
AND REMAIN CLOSED UNTIL
TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2011 at 8:30 am
www.centralhuron.com
With best wishes and
gratitude to our valued cus-
tomers and friends.
~ Don & Julie ~
1 mile west of Blyth
on Blyth Rd.
519-523-9771
Landscaping & Supplies
Sierra Leone Christmas celebration can last a week
A Sierra Leone Christmas
Rev. Dr. Peter Kugba-Nyande of Walton has some unique
stories about Christmas in his home country of Sierra
Leone. He tells tales of all day feasts and soccer games
that last for as long as two weeks. (Denny Scott photo)
Rev. Dr. Peter Kugba-Nyandefrom Duff’s United Church inWalton, when reminiscing aboutChristmas in his home country ofSierra Leone, tells a story of day-long soccer matches, chicken feasts,palm trees and week-long celebra-
tions.
Kugba-Nyande, who has been a
Christian all his life, says that
Christmas in his home town is a
“very great event that everyone
looks forward to” and that the cele-
bration he and his family have
become accustomed to in Canada is
much more subdued.
Christmas is a community and
family event in Sierra Leone,
according to Kugba-Nyande, where
members of the community return
to celebrate together.
“Before Christmas, most of the
schools are closed, so parents look
forward to their children coming
home,” he said. “They come back to
town, and, for the week before
Christmas, they play soccer all the
time.”
Before Christmas, communities in
Sierra Leone are bustling with activ-
ity, Kugba-Nyande said.
“There are a lot of activities,” he
said. “They put up fences for the
dances, since it’s so warm, the
dances are usually outside, and
everyone can attend.”
Decorating the tree is one tradi-
tion that Kugba-Nyande said is cel-
ebrated both in Sierra Leone and in
Canada, but there is one major dif-
ference.
“We use a thatched palm tree for
our Christmas trees in Sierra
Leone,” he said.
On Dec. 24, every village has its
own celebrations and activitiesaccording to Kugba-Nyande.“Each village has its own activity,and the size of the village and howinteresting it is tells what kind ofactivity it will be.”Families then begin to celebratethe holiday on Dec. 25, Kugba-Nyande said, but the celebration isfar from the one-to-two day affair
that is celebrated here in Canada. In
Sierra Leone, Chirstians celebrate
Christmas for an entire week, end-
ing the celebration on Dec. 31.
During the week, members of the
community visit their church and
each other according to Kugba-
Nyande.
“Everyone goes to church, espe-
cially on [Dec. 25],” he said.
“People who may not usually go are
there. Everyone in the village goes
to church that day.
“Worship is a central part of
Christmas [for people in Sierra
Leone],” Kugba-Nyande explained.
“People give thanks and share a lotat that time. They also wear theirbest clothes.”Following visiting and churchservices, members of the communi-ties begin to enjoy social time,including soccer and dancing.“There are a lot of social activi-ties,” Kugba-Nyande said. “We gofrom house to house, dancing to
[tribal drums], and we collect coins
to give to the drummers.
“The dancing can go late into the
evening. We start around 10 p.m.
and might not end until 4 a.m.,” he
said, stating that the drums they use
are either cane drums or drums sim-
ilar to Bongo drums.
Prior to the celebration is a daily
feast, according to Kugba-Nyande.
“Everyone begins to cook chick-
en,” Kugba-Nyande said, indicating
that was the traditional meal for the
holiday. “They then travel from
house to house, visiting neighbours.
BLYTH PRINTING INC.
BLYTH
519-523-9211
Wishing all our customers and friends
a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful
New Year!
Wishing all our customers and friends
a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful
New Year!
BLYTH
519-523-9211
By Denny ScottThe Citizen
Continued on page 21