How many of you have ever celebrated New Year’s out of town at a village
or farm? Or maybe you were in town but you had to stand somewhere to look at
fireworks from the neighbour’s or from the next street? I did! As a matter of
fact, I have never set off fireworks myself, one I never bought any. Two, even
if I bought them, I’d probably still give them to someone to set them off so I stand
far and see them better. My family and I celebrated all our New Year’s Day at
the village, 3km out of Oshakati.
It was probably always the best part of the year. It was the fireworks,
the food, the excitement and one thing that really almost changed my life and that’s
what I want to tell you about. The DRUMMING!!!! If any of ya’ll remember waking
before 00:00 to find your best stick or piece of metal to continuously and rebelliously
hit on a metal drum to celebrate the New Year, you and I share a very special
part of memories.
It is still a very common form of celebration. If you have those 1000 litre
drums in your house, you probably remember looking at it on the 30th
December and going like “in exactly 24 hours, I am hitting the hell out of you
sucker”
My sister and I would collect all the big metal drums in the house and
place them somewhere, and then we’d get some real bad ass sticks or metal rods.
It was like building a Noise and Fun plant. Mum would take some of her useful
drums and buckets and deplete our pile but in no time, we will have it all
heaped up again. We worked hard like ants. We would then stay up the 31st
December and wait for 00:00 and when the hour strikes, it is party time baby. It’s
a rumble. No one is even worrying about how loud the drums are or who is being disturbed,
after all, the whole village is drumming away the old year like a real rock
band.
As for me, I got used to it though, eventually, I did not even have to
make any effort to raise my arms, it all happened like I was a tiny drumming
robot and I sure loved it. I had the energy and the will. The worse feeling was
when you sleep and wake up in the morning, having missed the whole drumming
moment and knowing its only coming up again in 365 days. :D
I am young, I have all the energy and it is meaningful, it is exciting, I
don’t even understand the kids who don’t beat drums during this very special
night. Dradadadadad bong bong bong!!!! Beat the goddamn drums kiddo you are a
superhero, yaaaayyyy, bong bong bong bong!! I was almost like a drumming spider,
all 8 legs at work hitting the drums like it’s a military band.
I’d often get up like 5 minutes to midnight and go like, “Alright it’s
that time of the year again, yeah baby we are doing this thing. I am going out
there to beat those drums and look at the fireworks. It is so awesome, yeah”, pom
pom pom pom!! At that point, I have one drum and my stick, rhythmically
drumming away the old year to welcome the new one and simply be in the vibe.
So at first it was really exciting but things changed as I grew up. I grew
a little used to the whole drum thing and I guess it was the whole thing of, I’ve
done this uncountable times and the government has banned the excess use of
fireworks and float flames. So I’d be like, “… but yeah, it’s a good day, lets
hit the drums like good citizens of the free Namibia. Bong bong bong, alright
guys am off to bed, see ya tomorrow. Happy new year’s again people.”
After years of drumming and cutting my sleep to 30 minutes or so, to
make time for the celebrations, I got really tired and though I could not make
it obvious so as to not send out negative vibes to the kids, I’d just get up
and make one carefully exaggerated hit on the nearest metal piece. Just loud
enough to have the kids realise am among them to celebrate. It got really boring,
I wanted more, I wanted loud music and maybe we all dance or something. I could
not introduce that though cause I was still also just a dreaming but still
boring Monkey. I needed someone to launch it all but there was no one. No one
could.
I then grew so tired of the whole drum and in the end, I just decided to keep the original idea of letting the stick touch the drum, whatever way, just let it touch the drum and make that little sound. it is enough. Then you go back to bed and thank God for the new year but staying up drumming like a maniac was not fun anymore.
So after so many years of Bonking away the old years in style till I
grew tired, I would have so wished to spend my New Years like this:
But no, I will go back to the originals, to the olden days where the
drum and the stick are the real deal. I wish all my readers a very good festive
season. I will probably pop up again before 2015 but for now, ya’ll have a good
time with your families and loved ones. I will be somewhere chewing on some
biltong and hoping that 2015 will be bigger and better. XOXO
