“Fi ọ̀ràn sínú pète ẹ̀rín; fi ebi sínú sunkún ayo” – “Keep your troubles inside and laugh heartily; keep your hunger hidden and pretend to weep from satiation”

Bi a bá wo iṣe àti àṣà Yorùbá, a o ri pe àwọn “Àlejò lati Òkè-Òkun” ti o ni “Inú Yorùbá ló dùn jù ni àgbáyé” kò jẹ̀bi.

Kò si ibi ti enia lè dé ni olú-ilú àti ìgbèríko/agbègbè Yorùbá ti kò ni ri ibi ti wọn ti ńṣe àpèjẹ/ayẹyẹ. Yoruba ni “Ọjọ́ gbogbo bi ọdún”, pataki ni ilú Èkó, lati Ọjọ́-bọ̀ titi dé Ọjọ́-Àìkú ni wọn ti ńṣe àpèjẹ, ilú miran ńṣe àpèjẹ ni Ọjọ́-Ajé fún àpẹrẹ – Ikẹrẹ-Ekiti. Ọpọlọpọ àpèjẹ/ayẹyẹ àti Ìjọ́sìn ló mú ìlù, orin, ijó àti àsè dáni. Ni gbogbo ilẹ̀ Yorùbá, àti Ọlọ́rọ̀ àti Òtòṣì ló ńṣe àpèjẹ/ayẹyẹ kan tàbi keji. Bi wọn ò kómọ-jade; wọn a ṣe ìsìnkú tàbi yi ẹ̀hìn òkú padà; ìṣílé; ọjọ́-ibi; igbéyàwó; Ìwúyè; àjọ̀dún àti bẹ̃bẹ lọ.

: Igbéyàwo – traditional marriage. Courtesy: @theyorubablog

: Ijo Igbéyàwo – traditional marriage dance. Courtesy: @theyorubablog

: Ijo Igbéyàwo – traditional marriage dance. Courtesy: @theyorubablog

Òwò tò gbòde ni “Ilé-apejọ” àti gbogbo ohun èlò rẹ. Ọpọlọpọ àwọn ti o jade ni ilé-iwé giga ti kò ri iṣẹ́ ti bẹ̀rẹ̀ si kọ́ṣẹ́ bi wọn ti ńwé gèlè, rán aṣọ, àsè sisè àti iṣẹ́ Olù-palèmọ́ àpèjẹ/ayẹyẹ nigbati ẹlẹgbẹ́ wọn ni Òkè-òkun ńṣe àṣe yọri ninú ẹ̀kọ-ijinlẹ. Fún akiyesi, ilé-àpèjọ pọ̀ ju ilé-ìkàwé lọ. Ọpọlọpọ àwọn ti ó ńṣe àpèjẹ/ayẹyẹ yi ló ńjẹ igbèsè lati ṣé. Omiran kò ni ri owó ilé-iwé ọmọ san lẹhin ìsìnkú, tàbi ki wọn ma ri owó lati pèsè oúnjẹ tàbi aṣọ fún ọmọ-tuntun ti wọn ná owó rẹpẹtẹ lati kó jade.

Bi ọjọ gbogbo bá jẹ bi ọdún, àyè àti ronú dà? Ewu ti ó wà ninú òwe Yorùbá ti ó ni “Fi ọ̀ràn sínú pète ẹ̀rín; fi ebi sínú sunkún ayo”, ni pé, ki jẹ́ ki irú ilú bẹ̃ ri ãnu gbà tàbi ni ìlọsíwájú. Bawo ni a ti lè ṣe àlàyé pé kò si owó lati rán ọmọ lọ si ilé-iwé tàbi bèrè pé ki Ìjọba Òkè-òkun wá pèsè iná mọ̀nàmọ́ná, omi, ilé-ìwòsàn àti bẹ̃bẹ lọ fún àwọn ti “Inú rẹ dùn jù ni àgbáyé?” Fún idi eyi, Yorùbá ẹ jẹ́ ki á ronú lati ṣe àyipadà. Ọ̀pọ̀ owó ti Ọlọ́rọ̀ fi ńṣe ìsìnkú wúlò fún alàyè lọ; nipa pi pèsè ilé-iwé, omi-ẹ̀rọ, ọ̀nà, ilé-ìkàwé ni orúkọ olóògbé ju ki gbogbo owó bẹ̃ lọ fún àpèjẹ/ayẹyẹ.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

If the Yoruba activities and culture are observed, one would not blame “Oversea Visitors” that said “Yoruba are the happiest people in the world”.

There is no place in Yoruba land that one would not see people celebrating. Yoruba adage said “Every day is like a feast”, particularly in Lagos, there is one celebration/party or another from Thursday through Sunday. Some towns celebrate even on Monday example is Ikere-Ekiti. Many of these celebrations or worship entails drumming, singing, dancing and feasting. In all the Yoruba areas, both the rich and the poor celebrates one thing or the other. If it is not naming ceremony, it will be burial; remembrance; house warming; birthday; wedding; Chieftaincy celebration; anniversary etc.

The current business is “Event Place” and all about celebrations/party paraphernalia. As a result of lack of employment, many Graduates are learning the trade of tying head ties/scarf, Fashion Designing, Catering, event-planning, while their counterparts abroad are having scientific breakthroughs. For example: there are more Event Place than Libraries. Many of the celebrants end up in debt or not able to provide food and clothing for the new born that so much was spent for his/her naming ceremony.

“If every day is like Christmas, where is the time to think? Yoruba proverb as translated by Oyekan Owomoyela in his book “Yoruba Proverbs” said “Keep your troubles inside and laugh heartily; keep your hunger hidden and pretend to weep from satiation”. The danger of this proverb is that such people cannot expect favour or progress. How do you explain there is no money to send a child to school or request aide from abroad for the provision of basic amenities like constant power supply, pipe borne water, hospitals etc. when “You are the happiest in the world”? For these reasons, Yoruba should have a re-think for a change. Most of the expenses on funeral are more useful to the living. Providing schools, pipe borne water, road, library in the name of the deceased, is better than spending all on ceremonies.

Originally posted 2014-02-14 20:27:33. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

1 thought on ““Fi ọ̀ràn sínú pète ẹ̀rín; fi ebi sínú sunkún ayo” – “Keep your troubles inside and laugh heartily; keep your hunger hidden and pretend to weep from satiation””

omoba salemokun February 16, 2014 at 12:37 am

Nigerians (Yorubas) are very concerned about expenditure rather than production. My take in this , is related to how we do things to justify and reaffirm our superiority and affluent over our neighbors, it may be friends or acquaintances. ( A foro s’inu pe te erin, a f’ebi sinu sunkun ayo). What a shame for one to ignore the pain of life and smother it with phony pleasure. It has been a practice that does not help any one, since after the pleasure , the pain continues such as: No money for children school, No money for better care in the Hospitals and so forth. I hope we shall get our priority strait , at least in life that we know.

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“Fi ọ̀ràn sínú pète ẹ̀rín; fi ebi sínú sunkún ayo” – “Keep your troubles inside and laugh heartily; keep your hunger hidden and pretend to weep from satiation”

1 thought on ““Fi ọ̀ràn sínú pète ẹ̀rín; fi ebi sínú sunkún ayo” – “Keep your troubles inside and laugh heartily; keep your hunger hidden and pretend to weep from satiation””

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