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VOL.6 December 2014
Making Merry
Christmas across Africa is a time to feast, relax and seek unity
By Gitonga Njeru

Christmas shopping means making optimal use of money

When the joys of Christmas ring out over Africa this December, countless Christian communities from across the continent will set about celebrating the festive season in their own unique style. What all have in common is preparing favorite dishes, family time and setting aside the stresses of work for a few days' rest and recuperation.

Cyrus Mkeka, 58, a waiter from Arusha in Tanzania, plans to enjoy the Christmas holidays tucking into a heavy meal of ugali (a dish made from maize flour), chicken and a mix of goat meat and beef, a typical food for this kind of celebration. Traditionally, here it's also a time for boys to take the rite of passage and become men.

"Young boys are circumcised during the first week of December," said Mkeka. "By the time the festive season begins they would have healed physically. Boys, who traditionally are considered men after the initiation, make the celebrations even more exciting. On Christmas Day they are given advice on how to behave maturely and what the rest of society expects from them."

Becoming adults, sharing and being with family - Christmas in Africa allows a brief respite from the problems of poverty and unemployment. Despite the increasing cost of living on the continent, it is a time to come together, feast and celebrate. Celebrations usually begin on December 24 and the most common item bought across the continent at this time of year is new clothes, worn to the obligatory church service, where Christmas carols are sung with great gusto. Generally, because of many who struggle financially, gifts are pragmatic in nature, usually in the form of school stationery, books, clothes and candles.

Abundance of feasts

Creativity comes to the fore at Christmas, with shops and stalls, oil palms and palm trees, churches and homes putting up some form of decoration, ranging from fake snow to bells and candles. And food, glorious food, is what the festivities revolve around, generally beginning on December 24. Goats, cows, pigs, ducks and rabbits are slaughtered and eaten in large quantities each December and early January.

In Ethiopia, the Christmas season comes with abundant food. Spiced chicken or fried fish and wat, a thick stew, are eaten with injera, an Ethiopian flatbread. With closer ties to China, many Ethiopian families are now also incorporating elements of Chinese cuisine as part of their menu. Musical instruments and dance play a social and entertaining role after Ganna, the Christmas celebration in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Fufu, a food derived from wheat flour or cassava, blended with a series of dishes such as spiced chicken, roasted goat meat and meat loaf, marks celebrations in Ghana. Roasted bananas are also a popular delicacy. Food is usually cooked on December 24 and washed down with traditional alcoholic beverages.

In the East African country of Uganda, people celebrate with pomp. The staple food banana is consumed in large quantities. Banana is cooked and mashed and then served on many family tables. Locally called matooke, it is blended with fish, fried beef or grilled chicken. Chicken smoked in banana leaves is also a firm favorite. The country is the largest consumer of bananas in the world and the second-largest producer of the fruit after India. Music and food are in abundance and visitors never leave empty-handed as they are given food to take back home.

Christmas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo involves heavy feasting on meat, preceded by prayers. Women wash the hands and feet of their husbands before eating starts. This is considered a sign of respect and is culturally acceptable. In South Sudan, celebrations begin on December 24, continuing all the way into the new year and marriage is high on the agenda. Last year, over 300 registered weddings took place in Juba on Christmas Day.

Heading home

Across Africa many businesses remain closed, including stock exchanges and banks, while alcohol companies, hotels, bars and restaurants make big profits. Most Africans travel from their city homes back to their rural or ancestral homes to celebrate Christmas. Government employees and some corporate staff generally earn a Christmas bonus to help with the expenses but the masses usually need to make every cent count. 

"Every year, I get annual leave from my job between December 8 and January 3. I take my wife and three children along with me [to my village]. The schools usually close late November and re-open on the second Tuesday of January," said John Khaemba, 58, who hails from west Kenya.

Khaemba said with his salary being just $300 per month, he buys groceries for his parents, gifts and pays for public transport.

"When Christmas Day comes, neighbors join us for the celebration. We forget the problems we have faced throughout the year. It is a good time for laughing away past problems and sharing joys," he said. The new year is a time for budgeting for his children's school tuition, making optimal use of his money. During the festive season many low-income families across Africa spend Christmas and budget much the same way.

The small but growing middle class spend the holidays in their city homes with friends or opt for beach resorts or expensive holiday destinations. "I usually spend the holidays with my wife and two sons in the South African resort city of Cape Town. My budget is about $40,000," said Maundu Makau, 42, a businessman and rancher from Kenya.

Time to unite

"Many people in Africa forget about past differences [during Christmas]. They learn the spirit of forgiveness and the power to give and share, no matter how much or how little," said Samson Munywoki, a sociology professor at the United States International University in Nairobi, adding that many people also give at this time of year in the hope of "winning favors from God."

"During the festive season, churches offer free food in huge quantities to the hungry and needy. Some wealthy individuals also give food, old clothes and small cash donations. Many of us here in Kenya forget about ethnic differences and develop the spirit of generosity," said Munywoki.

Psychologist Ruth Rono from the same university said people are more generous to charities during the Christmas season. "It is at times part guilt at not being generous at other times of the year," said Rono.

Pastor Peter Karanja, Chairman of National Council of Churches of Kenya, said people reflect on the future and how to improve their lives. The spirit of love is evident in Africa during Christmas, he added.

(Reporting from Kenya)

 

 

 

 

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