CHRISTMAS IN AFRICA

The candles are lit, the evergreen conifer trees are decorated, topped with a star and lighted, there are boughs of holly, bells and most importantly, a big jolly celebration. There are carols, presents and a special touch of love and care. Many places in Europe and America have snow but in western Africa, the cold dusty winds of harmattan herald the special season. That is the Christmas season calling and people can not help but look forward to it. Also, they prepare for the coming year in earnest.
But what makes an African Christmas so special and why is it a well-loved holiday? Also, why the decorations?

There are more than a billion people in the world who celebrate Christmas each year. Christmas (meaning “the Mass of Christ”), is widely recognized as the holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. It was celebrated for the first time in the early fourth century. Since the Bible does not specifically describe either Jesus’ conception or birth, the exact date of Jesus’ birth is unknown. But in the second century AD, a Roman Christian historian named Sextus Julius Africanus determined Jesus’ birth-date to be December 25. Africanus believed that Jesus was conceived in the fall of 9 months after the conception of the virgin Mary (nine months after Jesus was conceived according to Africanus). Despite Africanus’ assumptions, the December 25 date is widely accepted. Maybe that is why Christmas in Africa is something that deserves the briefed presentation below. 

Christmas in Africa is an amazing time of the year with the most common of events spread out through countries and cultures. Church services are the most important Christmas tradition in most African countries. The Yuletide season is all about celebrating the birth of Jesus and there is a church service on Christmas Eve as well as Christmas Day. The following are ways some countries celebrate the yuletide.

• In The Gambia and Sierra Leone, the towns celebrate with colourful masquerade parties with a joyous parade held after the Christmas Eve Mass. Their locals dance through the towns with fanals – large lanterns made from bamboo and paper in the shape of houses or boats. These fanals are often lit with candles inside and carried from house to house to collect donations
• The Congolese celebrate Christmas in particular by preparing a pageant that is performed every year. Christmas day begins with carolers singing carols known the world over while they walk through the village, along the highway and by the missionary houses.
• During the Christmas season in South Africa, it is a summer holiday. Its warm temperatures invite outdoor pursuits like swimming, sailing, and mountain climbing. Carolers sing in the streets on Christmas Eve. Church services are held on Christmas Day.
• Ghana’s west-coast churches celebrate Christmas with a period of intense decorations beginning with the first week of Advent, four weeks before Christmas. This coincides with Ghana’s cocoa harvest, which makes it a time of great wealth and prosperity for the churches. As Christmas Eve approaches, children sing Christmas carols as they make their way through the streets. In the evening, people stream into churches which have been decorated with evergreens and palm trees that are massed with candles. Hymns are sung and Nativity plays performed. Children and older people dressed in their native clothing or western costumes walk from house to house singing on Christmas Day as angels in the fields outside Bethlehem. A church service is held where they dress as angels in the fields.
• Liberians celebrate Christmas with an oil palm tree that is decorated with bells, which wakes them up early on Christmas morning. People exchange presents, such as cotton cloth, soap, sweets, pencils, and books. As part of the Christmas celebration, a nativity scene is acted out in church in the morning, hymns are sung, and dinner is eaten outside under the stars in a circle. There are games in the afternoon, and fireworks at night.
• Nigeria’s Christmas celebrations are marked by the indelible Nigerian spirit. The country has as much as a half of its population associated with the Christian faith, mostly residing in the south, so Christmas is a big celebration there. Nigerians are so excited about Christmas that they start making plans for celebrating it even before the year begins. This is reflected in their unique outlook on the festive season. Nigerians who have moved to cities during Christmas often return to their ancestral villages to be with family and bless those who are less fortunate.

Every African country has their own amazing way of celebrating the spiritual side of Christmas no matter how small Christians are there. Christmas meals in Africa are an essential part of the celebration and it is all about inviting friends and family to share in the good times. Some African countries, however, do not believe in Santa Claus but the tradition of giving presents still remains, though it varies with cultures and traditions. The same goes for decorations. Christmas time is like the saying, “The best time of the year!”

A taste of this wonderful holiday in Africa is one that is worth the experience at least, in one’s lifetime. What’s more, everyone is always welcome to the celebration with the season’s greeting ringing from very many corners. 

It says Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Chizaram D. Ezugwu

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