Christmas in Namibia!
If you haven't been to Namibia during the festive season before, it may come as a surprise to you that Christmas is celebrated much like it is in European countries. Especially the German flair is predominant in many homes and supermarkets (German cookies anyone?), which one can half expect seeing that Namibia was a German colony just over a century ago.
Santa from Usakos in Namibia:
Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve by Germans, while the rest of the country celebrates on Christmas day. The event itself can be divided into two broad categories: Activities around Christmas and activities on Christmas.
The first thing to remember is that Namibia lies in the Southern hemisphere and therefore experiences no such thing as a “White Christmas”. In fact, Christmas falls into one of the hottest periods of the year and the one thing that everyone yearns for is not snow, but rain! Rain on Christmas is a blessing to everyone and if it does come about, a collective sigh of relief and gratefulness can be heard across the countryside.
Christmas also falls into a time of school holidays. Many people travel to other parts of the country, in particular the coast (to find reprieve from the heat!), or to their family farms in rural areas to help prepare the land for the rains that are expected from December to March.
The meal and activities on Christmas Day and Eve itself depend on the different cultures, although it is common among most cultures that people attend a church service, either on Christmas Eve or Day. That is not surprising, as most of the Namibian population is Christian.
Concerning meals, Weihnachtsteller is common among Germans, as are roast duck and potato salad. Among the Afrikaans speakers the “Braai”, the South African barbeque is very popular, while the people in rural areas often enjoy 'pap en vleis'. The 'pap' is a porridge made from Omahangu millet or maize. This is a typically Namibian dish that many Namibians enjoy on this holiday.
Rehoboth Christmas Tree:
And of course, the Christmas tree may not be forgotten, else where does one put the gifts? Peculiar in Namibia is that the tree sometimes takes the form of a thorn bush rather than the evergreens that people may be used to in Europe. This definitely adds a Namibian flair to Christmas!
All in all, Christmas is a time of celebration across the nation, one that is certainly still flavoured by European and American influences, but one that has become essential to the Namibian community. It's one time of the year where family and friends come together to enjoy each others' presence, to exchange gifts and to be thankful for a year that's gone by, while another is waiting just around the corner.
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