AUGUST MEETING IN SOUTH EASTERN PART OF NIGERIA

AUGUST MEETING August meeting has become a tradition in the South Eastern part of Nigeria, and the month of august is always memorable to every married women and widows that hails from the region. The month of August in South Eastern part of Nigeria records the return of married women and widows living in different part of the country, to discuss matters of their concern and for the purpose of improving the community economically and socially with their fellow women. Women of different age grade that have come home for the august meeting as it is called normal like to show off themselves in the meeting through putting on articles of clothing that are very expensive and jewelries that are also expensive. The origin of what is today known as August Meeting can be traced to the by-product of the Nigeria Civil War , during which the Igbo women were idly circulate around their communities and villages as they had been forced home by the circumstances of the Civil War. Through such gathering of the community, they began to take up some social and economic roles to help the development of the communities which there are coming from, that was formally destroyed during the Civil War that ended in 1970. However August Meeting started as a means of developing the community, churches have also taken the advantage to develop churches and foster unity among the women. The women accepted August for the month of their gathering together because, both primary and secondary school are on break and it is not the busy planting season of the crops cultivated in the South Eastern part of Nigeria. The churches in Nigeria especially the catholic churches has made it s common tradition which comes up animal. It normally starts with the celebration of mass by the parish priest and followed by host of other activities. It runs from Monday to Sunday and especially last week of August every year. The women discuss majorly how to improve their family and develop the church both in getting souls to Christ and raising money for building of the church. Admittedly, due to dynamic nature of human being, this year’s August Meeting ( 2017) took a different dimension at the concluding ceremony in most Catholic Churches in Ebonyi State located in South Eastern Nigeria. Women who have returned from different part of the country for the August Meeting invited their friends and well wishers at the grand finale of the August Meeting ceremony to come and support the church through them. Some members of the church both male and female, Who has meet the pre-requisite criteria as specified by the elders of the church where given award to help build their faith in Christ and encourage others to be strong in Christ. Women through August meeting organized yearly have achieved a lot, in the development of the various communities in the southern Eastern Nigeria where it is mostly found. Their coming together in the month of august is also aimed at making new friends and taking the time to meet relatives and family members. Majority of the Igbo women like this period because of the joy they derive from the programme. Some said its makes them feel as if they belong to the society through participating in the programme with other women of higher class. also that it makes them feel that the development of the society is not for male alone through what they have and what they can offer to the society and the communities, it is a joint duty to develop the society at large.