For hundreds of years, Christians around the world have celebrated Christmas as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a festival that Christians cannot miss as it involves lots of fun, joy, love, jollof rice and chicken. Although the actual birth date of Jesus Christ remains unknown, the Western Christian Church adopted December 25 as the birth date, which was adopted throughout the world. You may not know when, where and how the first Christmas was celebrated in Nigeria, or in short, the history of Christmas in Nigeria. The history of Christmas in Nigeria dates back to the repatriation of freed slaves from the United States of America to Badagry, Lagos, Nigeria in 1838.About five hundred freed slaves settled in Badagry, including James Ferguson, a Methodist and leader of a trading group. On March 2, 1841, this James Ferguson, after obtaining his consent, invited missionaries from Sierra Leone to begin missionary work in Badagry.
The authorities accepted Jacob’s invitation on September 23, 1841 and then sent a missionary named Reverend Thomas Birch Freeman to Badagry. Reverend Freeman arrived on a ship called Spy, which anchored at a place called Gberefu (Klefu) Sea Beach. The Reverend was accompanied from the Gold Coast (now Ghana) by two African assistants, William De Graft and his wife. Rev. Freeman and his assistants were given the responsibility of spreading Christianity in Badagry and other parts of Nigeria. The day after his arrival, he delivered a sermon on Christianity under the Agia tree at Asisoe Tin in Badagry. Meanwhile, some of the freed slaves left Badagry and settled in the cave city of Abeokuta. Then Sodeke, the Alake (King) of Egba, invited the Reverend Freeman to preach Christianity in his town. Rev. Freeman traveled to Abeokuta on December 11, 1842 and returned to Badagry on December 24, Christmas Eve, where he met the famous Rev. Henry Townsend of the Church Missionaries (CMS, now Christ Anglican Church). The next day, December 25, 1842, Rev. Freeman and Henry Townsend celebrated the first Christmas in Nigeria under the Agia tree at Asisoe Tin in Badagry. The believing population of the indigenous people of Badagry, the freed slaves and the Europeans living in Badagry at the time took part in the Christmas celebration.
The ceremony began with the reading of a passage from the Holy Scriptures by Rev. Henry Townsend, and then Rev. Freeman delivered a sermon entitled “The Incarnation of the Savior of Mankind.” The Christmas celebrations in Nigeria began with a gathering under a tree in Badagry but have now grown into a large and spectacular celebration with fanfare. In addition to celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas in Nigeria also serves to bring families and loved ones together to share joyful and unforgettable moments.