Blonya—Je lɛ Gbi Jurɔ loo Jamɔ Gbi Krɔŋkrɔŋ?

ATSƐƆ lɛ yɛ China akɛ Blonya Nuumo. Ale lɛ yɛ United Kingdom akɛ Father Christmas. Gbɔmɛi ni yɔɔ Russia lɛ kɛ gbɛi ni ji Grandfather Frost tsuɔ nii, ni yɛ United States lɛ, áwo lɛ gbɛi akɛ Santa Claus.

Mɛi babaoo buɔ nɛkɛ nuumo ni mli filiɔ lɛ ni yɔɔ musu agbo kɛ tsɛŋ futaa tamɔ snoo nɛɛ akɛ Blonya he okadi diɛŋtsɛ. Shi eji nɔ ko ni ale jogbaŋŋ hu akɛ, Santa Claus ji adesã mli gbɔmɔ, blema adesã ni damɔ afii ohai ejwɛ lɛ mli osɔfonukpa, ni jɛ Mira (yɛ ŋmɛnɛŋmɛnɛ beaŋ Turkey) lɛ blema saji anɔ.

Kusum nifeemɔi kɛ blema saji náa hewalɛ waa diɛŋtsɛ yɛ gbijurɔyelii anɔ be fɛɛ be, ni Blonya fata he. Santa adesã mli gbɔmɔ lɛ ji blema saji ni akɛfataa gbijurɔyeli ni ehe gbɛi lɛ he lɛ ateŋ ekome kɛkɛ. Yɛ be mli ni mɛi komɛi kɛɔ akɛ Blonya kusumii lɛ damɔ saji ni tee nɔ ni aŋmala yɛ Biblia lɛ mli lɛ nɔ lɛ, yɛ anɔkwale mli lɛ enɛɛmɛi ateŋ babaoo jɛ wɔŋjamɔ mli.

Enɛ he nɔkwɛmɔnɔ kroko hu ji Blonya tso lɛ. The New Encyclopædia Britannica lɛ kɛɔ akɛ: “Jamɔ ni akɛhaa tso, ni egbɛ eshwã yɛ Europa wɔŋjalɔi ateŋ lɛ, tee nɔ ehi shi beni atsake amɛ kɛtee Kristojamɔ mli lɛ sɛɛ yɛ kusumii ni Scandinaviabii yɔɔ, ni ji tsei ni hiɛ baa ŋmɔŋ su ni amɛkɛwulaa shia kɛ aboŋo . . . koni amɛkɛshwie abonsam kɛya kɛ agbɛnɛ, koni amɛkɛto tso ko amɛma shi amɛha loofɔji lɛ yɛ Blonya be mli lɛ mli.”

Kwɛ̃ɛnii loo tsei krokomɛi ni hiɛ baa ŋmɔŋ su ni alòɔ lɛ tamɔ akekre lɛ hu ji Blonya kusum nifeemɔ kroko ni ehe gbɛi. Enɛ hu ná eshishifã kɛjɛ wɔŋjamɔ mli vii. Blema Romabii kɛ tsei aniji tsu nii koni amɛkɛwula sɔlemɔtsui yɛ Saturnalia, ni ji gbi jurɔ ni akɛ gbii kpawo yeɔ yɛ fɛ̃ibe lɛ teŋgbɛ ni atuu aha Saturn, ni ji okwaayeli nyɔŋmɔ lɛ be lɛ mli. Ale nɛkɛ wɔŋjamɔ gbi jurɔ nɛɛ waa yɛ miishɛɛnamɔ mli hoofeemɔ kɛ yakayaka nifeemɔ ni tekeɔ nɔ ni afeɔ lɛ hewɔ.

Etamɔ nɔ ni mɛi komɛi baanyɛ asusu akɛ Blonya mli kusum nifeemɔ ni ji naashɔmɔ ni yaa nɔ yɛ duasodua nine shishi (ni ehe mfoniri yɔɔ biɛ lɛ) ji nuu kɛ yoo teŋ suɔmɔ he nifeemɔ, shi eji Teŋgbɛ Afii lɛ mli nifeemɔ ko ni eho. Ashwãifeelɔi ni yɔɔ blema Britania lɛ hé amɛye akɛ duasodua lɛ hiɛ ashwãifeemɔ mli hewalɛi; no hewɔ lɛ, akɛtsu nii akɛ nɔ ni akɛbuɔ he kɛjɛɔ daimonioi, kablɛfĩi, kɛ nifɔjianii krokomɛi ni baa mɛi anɔ lɛ he. Etsɛɛɛ ni apasa hemɔkɛyeli lɛ te shi ni tsɔɔ akɛ naashɔmɔ ni yaa nɔ yɛ duasodua lɛ shishi lɛ kɛ mɔ yaa gbalashihilɛ mlibotemɔ mli. Nɛkɛ nifeemɔ nii nɛɛ miiya nɔ waa lolo yɛ mɛi komɛi ateŋ yɛ Blonya bei amli.

Enɛɛmɛi ji ŋmɛnɛŋmɛnɛ beaŋ Blonya blema saji ni wɔŋjalɔi atsɔɔmɔi ená nɔ hewalɛ loo amɛná shishifã kwraa kɛjɛ mli lɛ ateŋ fioo pɛ. Shi ekolɛ obaasusu bɔ ni fee ni enɛɛmɛi fɛɛ ba lɛ nakai lɛ he. Te fee tɛŋŋ ni kusumii ni jeee Kristofoi anɔ̃ lɛ bafutu gbi jurɔ ni akɛɔ akɛ akɛwoɔ Kristo fɔmɔ hiɛ nyam lɛ mli waa nɛkɛ lɛ? Nɔ ni he hiaa fe fɛɛ lɛ, te Nyɔŋmɔ kwɛɔ sane lɛ ehaa tɛŋŋ?

[He ni Sane lɛ Jɛ]

Baafa 3: Santa Claus: Thomas Nast/Dover Publications, Inc., 1978; duasodua yɛ baafa 3 kɛ mfoniri ni atɛŋ yɛ baafa 4: Discovering Christmas Customs and Folklore ni Margaret Baker ŋma, ni Shire Publications fee yɛ afi 1994