I put up a tweet on my handle at Isaiah O. Aladesanwa on 'X' formerly known as Twitter and on my WhatsApp, asking my friends and anyone about "What they felt has changed between the Christmas of the past while growing up and the Christmas of now" - there was a lot of entries, but due to the limited space and my disregard for bulky posts except academic post, I will share some of the entries.
A friend with the name Obasi, says; "In the past, ki!ling live chickens was a tradition for Christmas. Now I think the economic woes over the years have reduced many people to just buying fish and meat😕. I also think the art of distributing Christmas food in the neighborhood is going into extinction."
My dear brother and friend, Henry Bwalya from Zambia put it this way "Personally, the Christmas of nowadays has taken a drastic change. When I was younger, I remember we'd gather as an extended family to share a meal. We'd usually enjoy rice with chicken and drinks and alcohol for the adults. Music would start playing on Christmas Eve throughout the night. We'd pop fireworks and the evening go for Christmas mass. On Christmas we'd watch the Home Alone franchise and the day was just full of vigor, energy, and smiles.
But today, that is not the case, it could be attributed to the economy but the celebration nowadays is not as colorful. It seems like any other day with the exception that some neighbors may actually be cheerful."
Also Read: A Christmas of French Hens and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
Lastly, Winnie Naigaga, my sister from Uganda posited as thus, her entry got the most volume, so she took other people's space 😄;
"My perspective on Christmas as a Ugandan Adult is reflecting on the birth of Jesus our Savior. Also, it's no surprise that we celebrate the birth of Jesus towards the end of the year. Regardless of whether it was the real day Jesus was born or not, all things ended up working together for good. Towards the end of Psalm 65, the Psalmist writes about how God crowns the year with His goodness...That's exactly how it feels with Christmas being 6 days away from New Year's Day.
There are a lot of celebrations, like the family get-together, some, once a year during the festive season.
What has changed about Christmas?
As a little girl growing up in Uganda, by this time, Christmas Carols would already be playing on our streets. Right now, it's the opposite. However, some businesses are already in the festive mood, I was at a low-key restaurant in my neighborhood that had already decorated and had Christmas Carols playing by the end of November.
Still, in November, I visited one of Uganda's leading bookshops, Aristoc, and it was already in a festive mood. Communally, we've lost that celebration. It's normal. No music, no decorations but families still gather.
Also Read:
Celebrating Christmas in the African way - A Mirror of Cultures, Traditions & Joy
Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh - The Message
As a young girl, we had a tradition in our neighborhood where we would go Christmas tree hunting in December, decorate them together in our various homes, and burn them at a certain place as we welcomed the new year on the 1st as fire wax filled the air.
It's no longer the same! My family has not decorated in over 10 years though we all gather at my parent's home for a week or so. Siblings, sisters-in-law, nephews, and nieces; three generations in the same place. That's how it is this side of Africa. However, my experience may be different from my fellow Ugandans.
She concluded her entry by asking me, How is it that side? - I don't feel any way different from the views shared above. It is written boldly in my previous entries.
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