Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ which is observed primarily on December 25 each year as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people across the world. It is a season of getting together, exchanging gifts sharing meals and feeling merry. It is also a time for long distance traveling, shopping for gifts and preparing elaborate dinners.
HOW GHANAIANS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?
Ghanaian Christmas celebrations normally start around the 20th of December, spanning through to the New Year. There are a lots of activities which go on during the festive period with the main focus on people traveling around the country to visit families and friends. The celebrations are at a maximum during Christmas Eve with church services, that attract a lot fun and merry-making from worshippers late into the night. After the early morning service, gift giving and receiving begins. The traditional food for the Christmas includes rice and soup with either goat or chicken, while pastries such as cakes, biscuits, doughnuts among others are shared together with soft and hot alcoholic beverages.
MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT
On the eve of Christmas, you can spot an outdoor parade of musicians in Ghana, treating the people with interesting music and rendition from their repertoire. You can hear the sound of Christmas carols from many homes, signifying the hilarious celebration of the festive occasion. Children, especially toddlers are not left out in this festive mood, as they welcome Father Christmas (Papa Bronya), with long white beard and cherry-red suit to match. You will usually find decorated trees at large hotels or shopping malls, some with colorful paper ornaments and neon lights to make them attractive.
SUSPENSION OF FUNERALS
It is unusual to see funerals held during the Christmas period in Ghana. The holding of funerals is completely suspended during this festive occasion because the period is considered as time form spreading love, joy. Indeed, Ghanaians hold their Christmas in high esteem and therefore, attach much importance to the celebration by blending the festive occasion with pomp and pageantry.
By this time of the year, when the festive occasion is fast approaching, the traditional markets across the country are filled with goods and a lot of foodstuff at quite an affordable price that are within the reach of the ordinary Ghanaians so that they can celebrate among themselves with their families and loved ones. Parents are able to purchase few items such as dresses and footwear for their children by this time of the year. But the question people are asking is, are Ghanaians going to enjoy this coming Christmas in the midst of this huge economic downturn that has imposed severe hardships among families? The answer to me will be a 'big no'. The pockets of the majority of Ghanaians are completely dry and I wonder whether they can afford some of the items needed to make this Christmas enjoyable in their lives.
TRADERS COMPLAINING OF LOW SALES
Already, traders across the country and owners of shops, are complaining bitterly about low sales, even though they have stocked their shops with a variety of purchased products for onward sale to consumers. For instance, at the Abura market in the Cape Coast municipality, medium size of goats is being sold between GHC 300.00 and GHc 450.00 while smaller ones are from GHc 200.00 to GHC 250.00. These prices continue to change by day. Poultry products such as fowls range from GHC 45.00 to GHC 60.00. Five kilos of perfumed rice are selling between GHC 80.00 and GHC 98.00 depending on the brand. Tomatoes and onion sellers are complaining bitterly about the high prices which are them to lose their customers. A five-litre gallon of palm oil which used to be GHC 70.00 has now been priced GHC 85.00. A sack of onions which used to sell at GHC 350.00 is now between GHC 450.00 and GHC 500.00 while a bag of maize currently goes at GHC600.00, double the price last year. A create of eggs which was sold at GHC 15.00 or GHC 12.00 depending on the sizes last Christmas, is now being sold between GHC 26.00 and GHC 30.00. Medium size bucket of garden eggs is being sold at GHC 50.00 instead of the previous price of GHC 35.00. A tuber of yam which went for GHC 8.00 last year December now sells at GHC 15.00. common household items such as milk, sugar, toilet powdered soaps, detergents, mouth wash and pastes, toilet rolls among others, are all very expensive and not within the reach of Ghanaians.
The question we need to ask ourselves is that, in the midst of these astronomical increase in prices of foodstuffs which invariable form the basis for the celebration of Christmas, how can one celebrate this year's Christmas with his or her family let alone inviting friends and loved ones. As for parents buying new dresses, clothes and footwear for their children that will be completely out of place since they cannot afford to do so in the midst of these economic difficulties.
AGRIC MINISTER'S TANTRUMS
We often hear the Minister of Agriculture telling Ghanaians that there is a lot of food in the system to feed Ghanaians and that they should stop complaining about the shortage of foodstuffs on the market. He may be rightly so because he sees these food items in abundance at the farm gates. However, what he fails to realize is that these food items he is talking about need to be transported from the farm gate in the remotest parts of the country sometimes in the hinterland to the marketing centers in the cities, especially Accra. How can you transport these food items down to the marketing centers in the midst of high cost of fuel and spare parts?
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO PRICE HIKES
The high level of inflation, coupled with the constant depreciation of the local currency, has been the major contributing factor to the cost of goods and services in our country of late. Our economy has been run down by our leaders to such an extent that it has affected the purchasing power of Ghanaians. They are being suffocated to the level they cannot accommodate. Only few people in the corridors of power are enjoying at the expense of the millions of Ghanaians.
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Judging from the way things are going on in this country, it is obvious that this Christmas will either have to be celebrated on low-key or even not at all by some families. If they attempt to use their meager resources and funds to celebrate this Christmas, they will be doomed. While they raise funds to observe this Christmas, they should not forget that the year is just ending and payment of school fees will be staring at them in the face early next year.
"SUSPENSION OF CHRISTMAS"
If I am in charge of this country which definitely I am not and cannot be, I will decree that the celebration of this year's Christmas, should be suspended because of the terrible economic mess we find ourselves in at the moment which has necessitated price increases in food and services and other materials that form the basis for Christmas celebration. The only thing we can do as Ghanaians, is to go our various churches to pray to the Almighty God to deliver us from this terrible economic situation.
