It's that time of the year again when wedding bells start ringing all over the place and invitations come pouring in on wedding itienaries of friends, famiy members, colleagues at work etc.
What follows is tedious wedding plans/arrangements, booking of wedding vendors, a lot of euphoric and feverish organising of one thing or the other topped with stressful excitement overloads for all concerned!
Today, im looking at that part of the arrangement and invitation that compells all concerned to part with what is now becoming excessive pricing of outfits for the wedding ceremonies that is the aso ebi!
Does our culture really instruct use of aso ebi compulsorily at whatever price?
Is it really necessary and must it cost so much and what role does the aso ebi play in the ceremony and its outcome really?
If it's not worn, would it make any difference in the turn out of the ceremony and the lives of the couple of the day or anyone for that matter?
How did the aso ebi come to exist and what really is it's purpose?
To my mind, its a cultural norm meant to bind family members and their friends together giving everyone a sense of belonging during social events in a family.
That is not such a bad thing in as much as all concerned have no problem concurring.
Suddenly aso ebi has gone beyond a tie that binds family members together giving them a sense of togetherness during festive occasions.
true it adds colour and glamour to events moreso as everyone turns out in various beautiful designs and come together as one and there is a feeling of unity.
Now this is the dicey part lately, the price tag attached to these aso ebis have gone sky rocket high and astronomical and the question that comes to mind is, is this necessary?
Is it fair to make your family members and friends as the case may be get themselves in unplanned expenses that most times are not budgetted for?
From simple ankara fabrics to costly lace materials the price tag attached to aso ebi these days is way too high. Some can afford it but in most cases people go out of their way and budget to accommodate aso ebi fabrics. Many even go as far as getting into debt to please the celebrant or to belong and fall in with the crowd
the weird and sometimes annoying part of this aso ebi phenomenon is that some fabrics are not worth the price tag attached to them and its just the host's way of making extra bucks out of hosting a party.
However you find that the gifts or souvenirs fall short of the big money you had to part with to partake in aso ebi drama.
So simply put, someone has enriched him or herself out of making you part with usually hard-earned money just for a fabric.
The sad part is more often than not you find that you do not like the chosen aso ebi fabric either cause of its quality, texture, pattern or even colour. To keep peace and maintain friendship, you end up with a fabric you do not want, like nor will ever wear again despite paying so much for it.
The further annoying trend these days is the host keeping the fabric type and colour too secret til the last possible moment such that when you eventually get it you find you do not like it and cannot return it.
Gone are the days when the celebrant will show family and friends a sample of the aso ebi so you can decide whether you want one or not. The argument is that people go and buy on their own once they know what it looks like. This means that they bypass the celebrant and buy the chosen fabric at the cost price which most times is far cheaper than the overbloated aso ebi price!
I wonder whats wrong with doing so and it makes one ask what truly is the purpose of aso ebi and what is the motive of aso ebi proponents.
For me, i love aso ebi and i love the turn out at events. It adds so much pizzaz n glamour to the occasion especially these days when guests compete vibrantly in terms of the creations they turn up in using the aso ebi at parties. I however feel that if we must continue this phenomenon, we must not lose sight of its intended purpose by our forefathers and those who created it
we should consider that people have and need to budget their spending mode and not everyone is a family member of sultan of brunei.
We should stop classifying the status of a party by the type and cost of aso ebi fabric we use at events. I do not think it was designed to be a status and class thing
we should not compel or force our families and friends to do what they do not wish to do nor can afford to do.
We should be considerate in the choices we make and carry our friends and family along in the process. After all there are far more important things to spend good money on and people do ahve different priorities which we must regard and respect.
There are also those who like to stand out, do things differently and not follow the crowd. Even if for various reasons, we should respect their stand. We should not turn the asoebi phenomenon into a frivolous fashion extravaganza thing. Its existence and place in our tradition has far more deep, meaningful and profound meaning than what its turning out to represent these days.
Would you and should you partake in buying aso ebi?
Is it wrong or right to do so?
Why part with so much for uniform apparels and if its a constant thing you partake in have you considered how much goes into the habit and if its worth the trouble. Of what real advantage is the aso ebi phenomenon and does it truly keep family and friends together?
Is it fair to make your friends buy extravagant fabrics just to attend a party of few hours and plenty thousands going down?
What really is proper, fair and ethical given the phenomenon as it is today?
What are your views?
No comments:
Post a Comment