Did you have yourselves a very merry Christmas?
Did you manage to avoid tears over timings, sprout spats, and divisive dramas?
Go on… was your turkey a triumphant masterpiece?
Ours was a very typical Nigerian-British affair: the obligatory nod to Nigeria with jollof rice, several bottles of mouth-watering Ikoyi Chapmans, my wonderful Brussels sprouts (delicious – roasted to a crisp exterior and a tender middle, since you’re asking), turkey, salmon, roast potatoes, pigs-in-blankets and all the usual, glorious accompaniments and desserts.
Not all African nations celebrate Christmas, but plenty do – just as lavishly as it is celebrated in the West. Here’s an insight into a few Christmas traditions across Africa.
South Africa Christmas traditions
Geseënde Kersfees!
‘UKhisimusi omuhle!
‘Le be le keresemese e monate!’
‘Krismesi emnandi!’
It’s a somewhat impossible task to define Christmas in the Rainbow Nation, with its preponderance of cultures, subcultures and traditions. However, there are some similar traditions across the country, most of which were inherited from the West (from the British, in particular, who settled there in the nineteenth century): there’s a festive break from work, religious celebrations, the giving of gifts and an abundance of food.
‘Carols by candlelight’ nights take place in several institutions and in churches, many of which require the bringing of food or gifts as an entrance fee. If you’re in Cape Town head down to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden to take part.
During Christmas, South Africans get to indulge in an assortment of delicious foods. Broadly, the Christmas main meal is either turkey, duck, roast beef or suckling pig. It’s not uncommon to have ‘braai’ on the menu, either – especially if the weather is hot – with boerewors, a thick beef sausage, being a favourite. The meat is typically served with potatoes, yellow rice and raisins and a range of vegetables, followed by either Christmas Pudding or Malva Pudding (also called Lekker Pudding).
On Christmas Day itself, it’s common to see children and adults go from house to house singing carols. In Zimbabwe, for example, the day starts with a visit to Church, and people will dress in their finest traditional attire or Western clothes, just as they do in the West. After Church is when the big meal happens, but instead of spending the entire day at home, people typically will go to visit extended family and friends before returning to their homes. Ivy is a common way to decorate homes in Zimbabwe, although many homes will only decorate the main room of the house.
In Zambia, where faith and religion play an important role in the lives of ordinary Zambians, you can expect to hear fireworks and the sound of honking vehicles on the night before Christmas.
The 26th of December, known as the Day of Goodwill, is also a day of celebration, and it’s a time for South Africans to give back to society after the Christmas holiday. One way to do this is by donating to charity, such as the popular charity Santa Shoebox.
East Africa Christmas traditions
Of the East African countries, Ethiopia, Burundi, Uganda and Kenya are probably the most enthusiastic towards Christmas. Tanzania, with its large Muslim population, tends not to elevate this festival, although the Christians in the country certainly do.
As with other Christmas-celebrating countries around the world, Christmas in predominantly Christian East African countries is a time for being with extended family. Homes are decorated with ribbons, balloons and flowers, and if there’s a Christmas tree, it will likely be a Cypress tree, decorated, of course.
Burundians love Christmas (let’s face it, Burundians love a party). The Rwandans? Not really – but you’ll get a smile if you wish someone ‘Noheli nziza’.
In Luganda, the Bantu language of the Baganda people, Uganda, feel free to wish someone ‘Sekukkulu ennungi.’ You can expect to hear Christmas songs blaring from radios and TVs, on street corners and from homes, particularly songs by the iconic late Ugandan musician Philly Bongoley Lutaaya, with classics such as ‘Tumusiinze’, ‘Zuukuka’ and ‘Azaalidwa’. Here, Christmas effectively starts on December 15th, the date when many employees receive their salaries. Then the good times roll –notably feasting, drinking and general partying.
In Kenya, you’ll hear ‘Krismas njema’, which means ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Heri ya krimasi’. Kenyans love a good Christmas, and will usually celebrate the season with a variety of meats, fondly referred to as nyama choma (Swahili for ‘roast meat’). Chickens, goats, sheep and cows will be slaughtered and prepared on the grill. Meats will be parcelled out and sent to neighbours, friends and family. The meat is usually served with rice and chapati bread. In the villages, a charming tradition is dancing and singing around a fire.
Church-going is an expectation in East African Christmas countries, and churches are usually filled to the brim. Churches are typically decorated with Christmas trees, ribbons, sweets and lights – anything sparkly and Christmas-sy works. Practising Christians will traditionally attend a midnight church service on Christmas Eve, during which they might be treated to poems, hymns, plays and a re-enactment of the Nativity.
After church, preparations begin for the big meal.
How about the Ethiopians? You could say I’ve saved the grandest until last, although going to church and family gatherings are also very much a part of the celebrations. With many Christian Ethiopians belonging to the Orthodox Church, Ethiopians celebrate Christmas, called ‘Genna’, on 7 January. Santa is conspicuous by his absence in Ethiopia; instead, elders wear a sombre black robe and offer homemade bread, called ‘defo dabo’, to children and say a hearty ‘Melkam Genna!’ to them.
The Advent fast before Genna consists of eating a diet free from meat, fish, milk and dairy products. The fast is broken on Genna with a sumptuous feast of Ethiopian food, fit for kings, that includes an abundance of dishes containing chicken, beef and lamb. A few days before Genna, you’ll spot people transporting live chickens on the streets and in buses. You’ll see sheep everywhere, too.
Genna for Ethiopians, refreshingly, is less about the material and more about the spiritual. A charming tradition is the strewing of grass across the floors of houses to prepare for guests coming to eat the Christmas or Genna meal. Genna food tends to include injera with w’et (a stew), which is usually made with lamb, beef, fish, goat or chicken, plus a variety of vegetables. Another dish eaten at Genna is ‘Doro w’et’, a chicken stew containing hard-boiled eggs. Genna is rounded off with a coffee and popcorn ceremony (Bunna) and homemade drinks including Tej (an Ethiopian wine made from fermented honey) and Tela (homemade Ethiopian beer from the Gesho shrub).
A quaint feature of the celebrations is the playing of games, including the classic ‘Ye Ganna Ghewata’, a game resembling hockey, although this is mostly played in villages and in the countryside. Legend has it that the shepherds in the time of Christ’s birth played a similar game using their crooks.
Who am I to argue?
North African Coptic Christmas traditions – Egypt
Egyptian Christians are also part of the Coptic Orthodox Christian tradition and are the only Egyptians who celebrate Christmas.
The Orthodox Church follows the Coptic calendar, which means that the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated in January, on the 7th of the month. Advent, the 43 days before Christmas, runs from 25 November to 6 January.
Christmas celebrations begin on 6 January for Orthodox Christians, which is the eve of Christmas. A church service heralds the start of the festivities, and this normally begins at 10 pm and ends at around midnight.
The big meal is after the church service, with a banquet of dishes served that contain predominantly chicken, beef, eggs and foods not eaten during the Advent fast.
West Africa Christmas traditions
West Africa is a fairly heavily Christianised part of Africa, and so it’s unsurprising that Christmas is widely celebrated across countries in the region. Many traditions have their roots in pre-Christian cultures, however, such as the masquerades in Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
Even in predominantly Muslim Senegal, the influence of Christianity has seeped in, and it’s not unusual to see Santa in shops.
In Guinea-Bissau, which used to be a Portuguese colony, traditions include the eating of ‘bacalao’, on Christmas Eve – a dish of Scandinavian dried cod, no less. Midnight mass and street parties are prominent features of the Christmas season, to which all, ie Christians, Muslims and the non-religious, are invited.
In Sierra Leone, partying and feasting on a variety of foods are predominant. In addition, pre-Christian traditions such as masquerades as well as traditional costumes sit snugly with Christian sermons and Christian songs, which are played in the streets for all to enjoy.
In the Gambia, masquerades are also a Christmas sight, particularly the Agugu masquerade, which is accompanied by dancing and the soliciting of donations for the New Year festivities.
In Liberia, Santa appears to be persona non grata. Instead, children celebrate the legend of the Old Man Beggar. An ‘old man’ strides the streets on Christmas Eve acting out morality tales filled with social commentary that chastises the rich for their treatment of the poor. The performances are great shows filled with singing and dancing and lots of laughter and are aimed at teaching children the importance of looking after those less fortunate than themselves.
The performance concludes with a festival of feasting and celebration, with the main meal being a goat stew served with biscuits – part of this wonderful legend.
For those of us in the Nigerian diaspora, Christmas is arriving/travelling home well before Christmas. Church is an important herald to the festivities, followed by an ‘open house’ whereby guests can pop in throughout the day to visit and reminisce about the year’s events. Food is both Western and traditional, so you’ll find jollof rice, fried rice, coconut rice, efo, various stews of different meats, turkey, an assortment of vegetables, Christmas pudding and mince pies. And plenty of alcohol.
Many Nigerians will watch the traditional Ekon Play, where a drama group dances with a baby doll, symbolising the Christ child, that the people watching get to hold in exchange for a tiny donation.
The day for many Nigerians continues with much partying, which typically lasts for a couple of days.
An interesting tradition in Ghana is the honouring of the legend of Anna, who is said to have assisted in the birth of Christ in Bethlehem and rescued him from a Judean king with nefarious plans. The story of Anna is told every Christmas, and it is a tradition to honour all midwives during the Christmas season.
Christmas in Benin has thus far resisted the influence of the heavily commercialised Christmas celebrations in neighbouring countries such as Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria. In Benin, Christmas is marked by a strong religious focus. This includes pre-Christian elements such as masquerades, as well as conventional religious sermons.
Nearby Togo is notable for its French Christmas traditions, bar the food that is served, which is distinctly Togolese and includes yummy foods such as fufu, gboma dessi, jollof rice and akara.
An interesting case is that of the Dogon population in southern Mali. Here, Christianity, Islam and traditional African religions coexist and are increasingly blending their unique traditions with midnight masses and meals inspired by the Bible.
Each year sees new and novel Christmas traditions being established, and this is particularly true for West and Central Africa, a region known for its cultural multiplicity.
Which unique African traditions can you share with us?
Sources
https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/206554
http://www.afrol.com/articles/23489
Tanaforum.org
