Snapshot of an African Christmas

It's the Christmas season once again...and I can say that God has been kind to me. I am one of those few African women who has travelled the world and now have the opportunity to write about it...

While Christmas conjures up the image of several giant lighted trees everywhere from shop windows to street corners, public parks and homes on some continents, on my continent, Africa, and in my corner of this vast land, Christmas presents an opportunity to sift the 'haves' from the 'have nots' on one hand, and the pious from the sinners on the other.

Seated in my little flat once upon a Christmas only five years ago, I watched as a neighbour and her three children laboured under the weight of a huge plastic tree dragged down from the newly opened South African Supermart in town - Shoprite - in their little Japanese-make van.

It didn't matter that their living room was only 3x3 metres and already housed enough furniture to fill a little curio shop - somehow, space would be found. When I passed by for a 'neighborly chat' hours later, it was to find the tree firmly planted in the tiny corner eating up an inordinate amount of space.

"I thought we didn't need the extra armchair just yet so it had to go. We are now putting the lights and all - would you like to join in?" she invited me with a gleesome smile of triumph playing around her lips - she had just beat en the entire neighbourhood in getting home the first Christmas tree of the year.

I politely declined. Besides, Christmas was still two weeks away and I was afraid that my exuberant neighbour might start calling on me for repairs because I was convinced that the need would arise, considering the three little hellions she had raised.

But then, she was a 'have', as opposed to the 'have nots'- of which classic example I had in mind our 'garden boy' aka 'man', at my parents' homestead on a little homey farm out of town. Boysen Banda's Christmas celebration consisted of a string of hang-over mornings making sure to empty his Xmas leave pay two days before Christmas Day, whereupon the euphoria usually terminated into a stupor on Boxing Day and a severe bout of 'malaria' thereafter. New Year's day was worse, but then, we are talking about Christmas.

Never a word about "God" or "Jesus" touched his lips the whole time, though he insisted to all who inquired that he was a Christian born of long dead Christian parents in the East who had helped to shape his staunch belief in the Creator. This belief usually only manifested itself when a relative died as he would mention the "Lord's Will" when asking for leave days.

Christmas versus the church in my part of the world is another experience. In his own wisdom, our pentecostal pastor once decided that a 'Christmas meal' was necessary to commemorate the birth of the good Lord - unfortunately - he didn't bargain on the request instigating the release of the baser instincts of man. Live comedy was enacted at the Sunday afternoon meeting as family after family vied to 'donate' the 'turkeys' with others claiming supreme knowledge in the art of preparation as the wife had attended hotel school while one other couple attached their offer to a tour of duty spent in London, UK.

The live comedy spent itself when it was decided that pot luck would do. I knew I had to attend the 'meal' if only because it would be the best feast I had attended the whole year. It was also a chance to watch 'the haves' trying hard to outdo one another. I was not disappointed.

The 40 or so people who had gathered for 'the meal' had to contend with over 20 baked hens, over 10 sumptuous puddings in huge bowls, various African dishes, different salads, cakes, scones, and of course the Christmas turkeys galore! A feast for a king indeed! The Lord was surely impressed.

On the home front, everything usually waits for Christmas Day. Cooking and baking is done on the same day early in the morning with a long lunch being the main attraction of the day. After that, many will indulge in beer drinking bouts of the 'last man standing' variety. While other homes will receive hordes of freeloaders in the name of family, for many others in the townships it will be a normal day with one meal eaten on the stoep while watching the street a few metres away. Alternatively, time can be spent at church or watching the Bandas' of this world stagger up and down the road trying to locate their homes - all in the name of Christmas.

So, Christmas 2007 is around the corner, I await the Christmas feasts, just as much as I look forward to the frenzy that this Christian tradition brings to the world.