Christmas: a time for family and a time of togetherness
It's the most wonderful time of the year and what better way to spend it than with the ones you love?
POLOKWANE – There is not a more exciting time in the villages for people than Christmas.
It is not only because this time of the year holds the promise of a reunion with family members who work in cities, but it also holds the promise of food that you don’t usually have and brand new clothes. Speaking from personal experience, on Christmas is a time where all members of the family descend upon one house, usually the grandparent’s. On Christmas morning, you wake up to the radio playing Christmas songs. In the kitchen you can find the women working very fast preparing the seven colours which will be consumed at lunchtime after the Christmas sermon at church. By seven colours, I mean all the different salads and sides you can possibly imagine of various colours that will accompany the rice on the day.
The children will then bath and put on their special clothes that were bought specially for Christmas and they will sit around and watch the festive shows on television as they wait for the grown ups to get ready. The church service feels particularly long on the day, the mind often wonders off to the delicacies that await you at home. After the sermon, people make their way home and the ‘ real’ festivities begin. The family gathers around and have their meal, and by gathering around, it’s not around a table but rather children seated at their own corner, women at another and the men on their own where they can boast about their accomplishments in the city and often the truth is stretched. Today’s meal is extra special because it is accompanied by ginger ale (called gemmer ) and desert, custard and jelly. Children also get spoilt with Bakers Choice Assorted biscuits (choose two each or if you’re really lucky take three), and yes, it has to be Bakers Choice Assorted or nothing at all.
After a hearty meal, the music speakers come out and the drinks start flowing. The young people take to the streets to show off their new clothes, where they will spend the rest of their day. Black communities have created a tradition of starting with the fires early December rather than saving them for New Year’s Eve. On Christmas, these will be heard at every turn and the most popular ones are Black Spider. Late afternoon, the men start preparing for a braai and the party really begins at this point. During the course of the day, various family members and friends will be popping in to pass their greetings. The party will go on for the rest of the night, much to the excitement of the children who will be allowed to play out later than usual. Let’s bare in mind though, this way of celebration was for the ‘better off’ families because most homes could not afford the luxuries of Christmas, instead this days serves as a reminder of the things that they have to go without.
