For a week, people in rural villages will be celebrating Christmas and enjoying being together again. Families busy with Christimas preparations which must accommodate community people as well.
Cities like Johannesburg become empty during this time of the year. Rural villages are populated by young people who get to breath unpolluted air for once, older people who get to do some renovations around the house.
Plenty of selfies will be posted on social media; pictures that reveal the beautiful landscape of our rural homes. Not congested, no chaos, just wonderful mountains decorated with trees and rocks.
Christmas in Rural Villages
Older women are busy with Christmas shopping while others are cooking back home, not the normal kitchen cooking but like big pots full of meat placed in the big fire outside of the house in the yard.
Young men are out and about helping with shopping as well as any other chores around the house. All these activities take place before Christmas day.
This season of the year reveals the generosity in rural communities. Christmas preparations are not only for the family but for the community as well.
Meat, booze and more meat
Therefore Christmas celebrations take place for 4/5 days in rural villages. Groups of young and old community people go from house to house celebrating Christmas.
There will be community events such “Umsindo” (the gathering) where young people represent their village in “Ingoma” (Traditional dance competition). Other events such as stick fighting and knuckle fights will take place.
Each house visited is ready to host you and feed you. A true sense of who we are as Africans. Meat and booze is the order of the day. There’s plenty of it to ensure you good times.
For once we forget about politics
Politics have to be the most unkind system that govern our lives. But for just a week, we are “set free” from the system. We get to be ourselves again.
Also we get to witness the scourge of economic slavery that we are subjected to. Some families do not have Christmas and may feel ashamed. Neighbours would take notice and make means to cover that shame. That’s who we are as Africans.
Rural village Christmas has to be the best way to celebrate this season. It covers those who do not have and encourages the spirit of generosity from those who have. So go ahead and share your #ruralvillagechristmas