Kitchens all across the United States are filled with boiling pots, hot ovens, delicious aromas and anxious cooks hoping the turkey turns out right. The last Thursday in November is the same as any other day in Nigeria. People in America ask me, “do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Nigeria?” The answer is deep. American Thanksgiving involves spending the whole day cooking an outrageous amount of food, eating it with people you love and going around the table saying what you are thankful for. Every minute, every day in Nigeria is thanksgiving. People give thanks for everything, whether it be arriving at home safely, waking up, passing an exam, after eating a meal or taking a danfo ride. They will say “a dupe,” which means “we give thanks.” Nigerians acknowledge activities with thanks that many people don’t think twice about. Then you have the weekly thanksgiving at church. Families celebrate their own thanksgivings, just a special day to give thanks for your family.
Food preparation is another part of the American Thanksgiving celebration that happens everyday in Nigeria. I can speak for Yoruba culture best when I say that Yoruba take a great deal of pride in their food. Making a meal is a serious job. From start to finish, one meal takes a lot of labor and time. The Yoruba woman also takes a lot of care in the way she prepares it. Pounding yam, making the stew, it is an art and Yoruba know the way they like it. This is one of the reasons you see Yoruba people abroad always seeking out African restaurants wherever they are. Of course there will be exceptions but it is safe to say that Yoruba people love their traditional meals so much.
Celebrating American Thanksgiving is all well and good. I love the holiday myself because the food is always delicious and the company is even better. But being here and reflecting on what the word thanksgiving means in America and Nigeria is extremely eye opening. I wouldn’t trade one for the other, but I will combine the two into my own meaning of thanksgiving.
North of Lagos 
Nice blog right here! Also your website loads up very fast! What host are you the usage of? Can I get your associate hyperlink on your host? I want my site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
i love the yoruba meals though i have a little stress with the idea that they dont put meat in their soups(most)…they cook it separately and it denies the meal its true flavor-my opinion though…nice blog!
Great blog….it saddens me that I have never taken the time to learn a lot more about some of the African people. I have a Nigerian friend and he is a wonderful man, great person and he has made me want to learn more about him and his culture, plus where he comes from. You hear a lot about Nigerians but I don’t want to judge them or anyone. In every country and group you have your not so nice ones but that comes with territory of living on the earth, lol. So its neither here nor there……What I find beautiful about your blog is that you have a genuion interested in the Yoruba people as you call them and it’s really nice. It’s like I’ve had blinders on all my life and now the shades are being lifted. Thanks for your blog and the time you put into bringing all people together it was a pleasure reading it.Take care and I hope you I remember your blog…..Shella
See, http://irinajoyinbo.wordpress.com/2010/11/20/a-close-callflirting-with-disaster/ THIS is why we give thanks every second of every day. Stuff like that may not happen everyday, or every month but when things go bad they go REALLY bad.
Anyway, you’ve probably heard this about a billion times already, but well done with the Yoruba 🙂 You’re pretty intelligible despite your accent (which is pretty cool anyway :p).
Where’d you get a Yoruba keyboard? I’m in London and I can’t find one anywhere. I rarely type in Yoruba, because without diacritics it’s just so annoying to read.
Like, you read “Oko” and you spend half an hour trying to figure out which of the five possible meanings it’s supposed to be. Sure, contextual use helps, but still.
I really like this blog. It’s made me reasses my opinion of Ibadan. When I was younger and we visited my cousins who lived there, I always thought it was quite a boring place but after reading your blog I might have to go back and see what’s it like now.
Ibadan is peaceful but if you have the right friends to take you places you will see a different side of it. I hope you do come back!
Love your blog Titilayo.
Thank you!! E se lopolopo
Ekaale omidan Titilayo,
Ori mi wu nigbati mo ri orisirisi awon aworan,ete(purpose),erongba okan re,iriri ati akosile re nipa orile ede Nijiria papa julo Ilu Ibadan ti O fi se ibudo.Mo gbadura wipe ni agbara Eledumare pe O se aseyori atiwipe wiwa re ati kiko ede Yoruba re ko ni jasi asan.Gbogbo ohun ti O nilo lati se ase yege Oluwa yio pese re fun O.
O kare!
..Stumbling on your blog actually made my day.I reside in Dublin,Ireland.
Olufemi,
Amin o. Ayo yoo kari. Mo dupe fun awile yii. E ti fi idunnu sinu okan mi. Mo rin irianjo ranpe si Dublin ni igba soma ti o koja. Mo feran Dublin gan. O rewa. Ko da, mo pade omo Igbo nibe. E gbadun ara yin o!
Emi ni tire,
Titi
Titi,
I saw ur posting on youtube and traced your blog. Im deeply impressed. I wish I can write in Yoruba as well as you do (shame on me) though I speak it fluently, writing is not so good. I read through your blog and Im glad you are having a great time. i hope your ‘Mum’ will be able to take you to a Yoruba wedding especially the ‘engagement’ part, before you go back. That is another great experience.
Inu mi dun wipe o n gbadun ilu wa pupo, nkan ayo nikan loo ma ri oo. Nkan iwu ni lori nkan ti o nse mosi lero pe awon meerin to ku na gbadun ilu wa bi iwo se ngbadu re. kare o Titi
titilayo ore mi
i ve been waiting to read new stuffs from ur blog.learnt about the failed trip from lauren post.
you are so popular now that it seem everyone want to meet you! including me.
i am in ibadan hope i ll one of these days come to the flagship center on campus and meet you guys.ti aye ba wa boya mo maa mu iwo ati awon ore re lo si ilu mi ni ipinle ekiti.
happy thanksgiving and wish u all the best luck over there.
Love ur blog and the youtube videos..truly inspiring!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving Cara>>>oops, i mean Titi.
A dupe, Cara. What a wonderful experience and perspective.
We could use more of that, no?
Loves,
Michele
Hi Titi,
You are so right, as a Nigerian living in North America, i couldn’t have said it any better.
Ose mo dupe fun ishalaye yi, mo n gbadun blog re gan ni.