Christmas in East Africa

Christmas is celebrated in many East African countries, but it can have quite a different feel to celebrations in more western countries. Its
religious emphasis and more limited commercialisation make it a great springboard for discussion and exploration with your children of different values and of what the season is all about.

Here are some facts about Christmas time in the East African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda:

• Rural houses in East Africa get a bit squashed if relatives come round on Christmas Day - so lunch is often eaten outside.
• In Rwanda, people do not decorate Christmas trees, but everyone puts huge banana leaves on the house door to mark the festive season.
• Going to school and doing homework are not seen as a chore for many children in African countries. In fact, uniform, books and pencils are often given as Chrstmas presents!
• Many Christmas presents are home-made toys - like plastic bag footballs made from bags, banana stems and string
• Relatives often travel long distances to be together and buy special clothes to wear on Christmas Day.
• Schools are shut on Christmas Day, and many children walk or bus to church with their families and relatives instead.
• Bikes are common Christmas presents in the UK, great for racing, BMX tricks and getting about. But Africans use bikes like we use vans, loading them with huge amounts of stuff like fruit, bottles, jerry cans, and firewood!
• Mango trees are decorated with colourful bells and candles for Christmas. Mangoes also make a tasty treat for Christmas Dinner!
• Goats breed quickly, producing two kids a year, and give lots of milk and manure. Kids are passed on to other families, and the unlucky ones join their new families for Christmas lunch! See this Nyama Choma recipe, or roast goat from Kenya.
• Recipes for mashed banana, or 'matoke' are very common in East Africa, and might well be added to a Christmas Dinner, along with goat, rice and vegetable or cornmeal mash.
• Roast beef is eaten at Christmas when families can afford it. But our farmers say that even their local cows are too useful to kill, especially in dry areas where we provide a pair to pull ploughs. Try this roast beef dish from East Africa called Mtori.
• Because of disease or war, many children in East Africa are orphans. This means many children spend Christmas on their own.
• Send a Cow try to help orphan families get together with one another at Christmas, so they can celebrate as part of a community.
• A common sight in Africa – chickens roam around villages, pecking at the ground and flapping out of the way of cars. Send a Cow chickens live in a shed where they stay safe and healthy, unless they are going to be part of Christmas Dinner of course!.
• Sweetcorn, or ‘maize’ as it known as in Africa, is a very common crop to grow. ‘Cobs’ are usually dried, pounded, and then ground into a flour which is used in cooking many different meals, and can be eaten roasted along with meat on Christmas Day
• Bag gardens help provide extra food for Christmas time by making good use of compost and rainwater. Many children look after their own - often selling the crops they produce.

If you usually receive candles and teddy bears from pupils at Christmas, why not ask them to bring money in to buy a charity gift instead?

You really will be making Christmas special for children in Africa.