Christmas, Tanzania-style

There are some beautiful handmade nativity sets here. This one is made from banana leaves!

It took me a long time to be convinced that it was actually the Christmas season this year. I think the first time that I listened to Christmas music of my own accord was the afternoon of Christmas day. I realized that I strongly identify the holiday with the weather and decorations we associate with it, and those just weren’t there. Besides that, Christmas is usually an opportunity to spend time and have fun with friends and family, and without the same people around it was hard to recognize it as Christmas.

 

So what is Christmas like in Tanzania? Although it is a public holiday, the majority of Tanzanians don’t really celebrate it. In the larger or nicer stores, you might see Christmas decorations and hear music, but most of this comes from western traditions and the music is usually well-known traditional songs in English such as “Baby, it’s cold outside” (false) or “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas” (dream on). Despite not experiencing much in the way of Tanzanian Christmas “traditions,” I really appreciated that Christmas wasn’t overwhelmingly commercialized or nearly as in-your-face as it can be back home. Sure, there are lots of things I’m missing at Christmastime: hiking, Frisbee, dancing, caroling, and Christmas trees! But I enjoyed some fun things here too.

For example: in Tanzania, it is possible and even desirable to have a Christmas Eve service outdoors. I went to one! It is also enjoyable to go to the beach during the Christmas holidays. In fact, I did it three times from the 26^th to the 2^nd. Some people have barbecues; I wasn’t at one of those, but I did have the chance to eat all day on Christmas. This included a Christmas brunch with colleagues and a traditional British Christmas dinner with my adoptive family, where I got to try some new foods! I visited a crocodile ranch. I snorkeled for hours around coral reefs. I jumped over some big waves and got knocked over by even bigger ones. I went for a motorcycle ride on the beach. I explored some new running paths. Somebody baked me the most elaborate birthday cake of my life with a singing candle that wouldn’t stop singing. I got caught in a huge downpour and thunderstorm and waited it out at a small roadside shop.

Unfortunately, I did a pretty terrible job of taking pictures of all this. There are a few random ones below for your enjoyment, mostly un-Christmas-related. 

Ride down the beach.

Pineapple cutter: it's pineapple season now!

Results of the big rainstorm last week.