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Elections cast shadow over festivities

The 2016 general election is over but it has seemingly overshadowed everything on the nation’s calendar, including celebrations of key events such as the just-ended Christmas and the incoming New Year.

Christmas is often associated with heavy spending, long queues at lorry stations, human traffic at markets and shopping centres and vehicular traffic.

However, thanks to the election, the yuletide this year peaked slowly and rush hours often associated with yuletide were seen barely few days into the season, a clear deviation from previous years.

Unlike Christmas which is a religious celebration observed by majority of Christian denominations, December 31, the last day in the year, is observed by most people irrespective of their beliefs.

While Christians use the day to usher in the New Year with prayers and other religious activities, others also mark the night with fireworks, parties and other social gatherings at pubs, night clubs and hotels.

Hence, many people look forward to this day.

Over the years, Watch Night, as it has been christened, is often heralded with huge media advertisements, including the springing up of giant billboards reminding people of the night.

A drive around the city of Accra and the general scenes on the media landscape, however, reveal that such campaigns are on a low key compared to previous years.

The uniquenesss of this year’s ‘31st Night’ is that the event, which is often observed till the dawn of the New Year, falls on Saturday while many Christians are expected to attend church services on Sunday.

However, according to the Head Pastor of  Family Worship Centre of Christ Apostolic Church International at Sakumono, Rev. Osei Yaw Dankwah, this year’s December 31 celebration will usher Ghana into what he described as ‘the country’s spiritual labour rest’ since the country will be turning 60 years in 2017.

Rev. Dankwah noted that the New Year would usher Ghana into its season of prosperity and wealth since at age 60, people were expected to retire from work and enjoy the fruits of their toil for the many years they had worked.

Speaking to The Mirror in Accra, he said the country was blessed, having come out of a successful general election, and called on both the victors and losers to come together to thank God and move the nation forward.

31st Night and Sunday church services

On how to combine 31st night services and Sunday church services, Rev. Dankwah advised churches to close early after the ‘crossover’ into the New Year so that their members could go back and prepare for Sunday church services.

He said it was important that Christians gave true meaning to the night since it was the night that many first-time church goers gave themselves to Christ while others of different faiths joined Christians to thank God for His blessings.

He, however, noted, “It should not disrupt Sunday services.”

Unnecessary partying

Rev. Dankwah further remarked that ‘31st Night’ should be a solemn occasion observed with a heavy heart of repentance and forgiveness of others and not unnecessary partying which was often seen during the period.

He advised the youth to stay away from all social vices that could pose danger to their future while urging them to seek the face of God in all their undertakings.

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