Kenyan Christmas

Kenyan Christmas

In Kenya, Christmas is the busiest period of the year. Believers and non-believers alike celebrate in different versions. As for Christians it is a very memorable time.

Christians start preparing for this great moment as early as October saving some money for the occasion and, in the pastoral communities, poultry, sheep and goats are identified as early as September and reared specifically to be slaughtered on this occasion.

For those who have relatives in the cities and elsewhere in the country, this is a moment to get together as families. Most of the people take long holidays to be with their families  or – if they can’t – go on the last week before the Christmas.

Christmas carols start as early as the first week of December in radio and TV stations. We sing carols in churches and prayer groups as a reminder that the occasion is drawing near. Generally most people are very generous and cheerful in the period running to Christmas. Most churches perform night vigil commonly known as KESHA in Swahili language is to pray during the night.

On Christmas eve, Christians gather in churches for Christmas carols. The church youth groups will present concerts on the birth of Christ whereas different church groups will recite poems and biblical verses. At 12 midnight the pastor and the church deacons will pray briefly as they release the youth groups which will go round all the villages singing and dancing to announce the birth of Christ.  They collect gifts for the new born presented to them in all forms including reared animals, farm harvest or money.  Normally, as the group goes round, they are joined by others and so the number grows big such that they sometime divide and take different routes. This was a vital spectacular and most memorable part of being a Christian youth. The groups will go round the ‘bomas’ till dawn when they will part.

Below is a translation of a traditional Christmas song in Kenya

Christmas day, a brand new day
The children sing,
the children play
Now a smile on our faces
joining hands in happiness
On Christmas day
a brand new day.

Sons and daughters
once forsaken
Twice forgiven
smile and play
in this season
with love aplenty
On Christmas day
a brand new day

No more those sleepless nights
No more those endless fights
No more the painful abuse
Now a new found freedom
to choose, to choose
on Christmas day,
a brand new day

Hey you there
rich and poor
Stop the waste
do your best
Help the rest,
you’ll be blest.
this Christmas day,
this brand new day!

Jesus lives, Jesus loves
as we live, we must love
we are one, we are whole,
Virgin Mary loves us all.

MY NAME IS ELSIE . MY PHOTO IS ATTACHED