Christmas Reflections

Krismasi Njema!

Back home in Minnesota the Christmas frenzie has reached a peak; only a few days left to shop, bake dozens of cookies, attend countless Christmas gatherings, send Christmas cards, wrap  too many gifts, finish decorating the Christmas tree, attend the Nutcracker or Christmas Carol and many other such traditions.  I can’t say I miss it.  Today for the first time this year I heard Christmas music in a grocery store.  It caught me off guard and it seemed out of place.   Not only was it 80+ degrees outside, there are no visible signs of Christmas; no Christmas trees, no promotional shopping displays of Christmas items and no harried shoppers.  It was a bit like hearing Christmas music in the middle of July in Minnesota, simply odd.

This is my second Christmas in Tanzania and since I have none of those things to do I have time to reflect and write.   I don’t miss the consumerism craziness.  I do miss family and friends.   Though Christmas is not outwardly evident here in Tanzania, it is an important time for family and friends.    The dominant tribe in the area I live is Chagga and the Chagga have a wonderful homecoming tradition at Christmas time.  Everyone comes home to the Moshi area, even those in the far reaches of Tanzania who have to travel days to get here.  There are parties and celebrations.  Even, the traffic in Moshi is noticeably greater during the holidays and of course the prices for food, gas, and transportation go up.  This is a time to gather, share stories, watch some football (soccer) and enjoy the company of family and friends.

So for you my friends I offer this Christmas gift / reflection.  Snapshots of life in Tanzania… a very different place than snowy Minnesota with Salvation Army bell ringers, last minute shopping bargains and fancy giftwrap.

• Christmas Trees – Rare.  At one of my favorite outdoor bar /music places they have a metal tripod of sorts with lanterns and a few Christmas lights.   Not exactly a balsam fir tree but it works.  See my earlier blog post on Christmas trees.

• No lutefisk or lefsa, but plenty of fresh local fruits – pineapple, mango, papaya, watermelon, passion fruit, bananas, plums, oranges, etc…

• Stockings – Laundry is done by hand and hung to dry outside.  So the closest I come to hanging stockings is hanging my hiking socks out to dry.

• Snow—the nearest is Kilimanjaro and oh what a beautiful view I have of this mountain!  Daytime temperatures are in the 80’s.

• Santa Claus is a northern hemisphere mirage.  As far as I can tell his reindeer don’t know how to get to the southern hemisphere.

• Christmas music – The music I heard in the grocery store was a typical Christmas carol. Even though western music is fairly common here – I heard Abba today at a local restaurant over lunch – western Christmas carols aren’t heard until a few days before Christmas unlike in the states where it seems they start in October.  Nonetheless, Christmas music here is a mix of western Christmas carols sung in Kiswahili or English with a Tanzanian accent. 

• Christmas Eve…not a big deal here.  Everyone celebrates on Christmas day and like other countries they follow Christmas with Boxing Day.  However, unlike northern Hemisphere countries that have ‘stuff’ to box, I am not sure what anyone boxes here…

• Mistletoe – Mistletoe is a parasitic plant found everywhere around here.  No one hangs it in doorways, but it is common in trees.  Perhaps I should try some   :) 

•  Turkey – One of my friends raises turkeys and sells them to motels for mzungu (white people) for crazy prices (~$75/turkey). 

One of my favorite things to do is to hike to a nearby rural Catholic church built in the late 1800’s.  Except for Kilimanjaro looming in the background, this church is a mammoth stone church that could rival any European cathedral.  Complete with stain glass windows, archways and ornate accessories the church is perched on the shoulder of the mountain, a fitting tribute.    If I go in the late afternoon, I can listen to the choir practice traditional Tanzanian Christmas music.  These are what I call ‘Holy Moments’, listening to this wonderful rich harmony.  Moments when the world is right, when the beauty is overwhelming and when the music lifts one out of the ordinary routine. 

There is nothing ordinary about life here on the mountain.

Wishing you  Holy Moments in the coming year!