If it smells and feels like Christmas, then it is Christmas or rather it’s around the corner in this case.
Christmas is a season associated with giving and sharing with the less fortunate. Kenyans though, have a unique way of celebrating Christmas and in as much as online travel agencies have revolutionized the way we think about travel and festivities you still find most Kenyans carrying on with the traditional way of celebrating Christmas.
Celebrating Christmas as a true Kenyan
Visit the village
Visiting the village; what the millennials commonly refer to as ‘Ushago’ or term it as visiting ‘Shosh'(come to think of it, has this name replaced the name of every grandparent in Kenya).
During this period there is an exodus to rural homes where you are likely to spot town dwellers posing and taking photos with every object near them.
Go to Church
Families will be sighted going to church on Christmas day. Never mind some have never stepped in church since their last Christmas. If the grandparents are elders in the church be assured that they will ask the whole family to stand for “introduction” and to “greet” the church.
Partake “special meals”
Every Kenyan family has that special meal that is prepared during Christmas the likes of chicken and Mbuzi choma.
You know theirs is always that goat that started being fattened in January solely for this occasion.
Loud Night Out and Alcohol
I once visited one of our neighboring countries during the festive season and the soberness with which they celebrate the season is unbelievable. Kenyans on the other hand love taking their celebrations a notch higher, thus the loud night-outs. Some though will prefer quieter places that play polite music or none but still have a bottle/glass of their best drink.
Mourn over the financial hole created
The Christmas spirit is surely dead, and Christmas has since been commercialized making Kenyans dig deeper into their pockets to survive the holidays. This, however, leaves many short in cash come January and gloomy faces can be spotted as early as 31st December when the reality of a new year, responsibilities, and bills kicks in.