How is christmas celebrated in kenya

In Kenya, Christmas is a time when families try and be with one another. Many people travel from cities, back to the villages where the main part of their family might live. (Although there are more whole big families now living in cities so they don't have to travel!) This is often the only time large families will see each other all year, so it is very important.

People try to be home for Christmas Eve, so they can help with the Christmas preparations. Houses and churches are often decorated with colorful balloons, ribbons, paper decorations, flowers and green leaves. For a Christmas Tree, some people will have a Cyprus tree.

In cities and large towns, stores can have fake snow outside them! And there might be a Santa in the stores as well.

In Kenya, Santa doesn't arrive with his Reindeer but might well come by Land-rover, Camel or even a bike!

Many people, especially Christians, will go to a Midnight Church Service to celebrate Christmas. The service will have Christmas hymns, carols & songs; and often nativity plays (showing the Christmas Story), poems & dances.

After the service, people go home and party really starts - you might well not sleep that night! In cities, going carol singing is also becoming more popular.

Some people will also go to Church on Christmas morning (if you haven't fallen asleep from partying all night!)

Popular Christmas foods include a barbecue which can be a goat, sheep, beef or chicken. This is eaten with rice and chapati flat bread. The big Christmas meal is called 'nyama choma'. People often make their own beer to drink and different tribes also have special dishes they make. If you live in a city you might have a western Christmas Cake, but these aren't very common in rural areas.

Only small gifts are normally exchanged and sometimes food and gifts are provided by missionary organisations.

The day after Christmas, Boxing Day, is also a public holiday in Kenya. It's another day of celebrating, seeing more friends and family (or sleeping!)

In Swahili/Kiswahili (a language spoken in Kenya) Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Heri ya Krismasi' and the response is 'Wewe pia' (you also). In the Maasai language (also called Maa or Kimaasai) it's 'nchipai e Kirismas'. Happy/Merry Christmas in lots more languages.

Since many Kenyans are Christians, Christmas is an important celebration in Kenya. As in most countries, it is a celebration of family. Many people travel from the city to their home villages to spend the holidays with their family. It is often the only time of the year when the whole family gets together. That’s why the roads around major cities like Nairobi and Mombasa are usually crowded and traffic jams can last for hours. The cities, on the other hand, often seem deserted during the holidays.

In the cities, churches and houses are often decorated with colorful garlands and balloons, flowers and green leaves. Also a Christmas tree may not be missing! For this purpose, cypress trees are traditionally used and splendidly decorated. Often you can see artificial snow in front of, for example, shopping malls or other important buildings. Now and then you can even see someone dressed up as Santa Claus. However, he does not come in a reindeer sleigh as we do, but on a camel, in a car or even on a bicycle. In rural areas, these very western traditions are rather unusual.

In den Ballungsgebieten wird Weihnachten meist im westlichen Stil gefeiert, in den ländlichen Gegenden haben die vielen verschiedenen Stämme hingegen ihre eigenen Traditionen beibehalten. Many devout Christians go to church at midnight on Christmas Eve. There they sing, recite poems, dance and perform nativity plays. After the service, things really get going for the young people: often there is partying and dancing until morning. There are also church services on Christmas morning – those who have not danced all night can celebrate Christmas here as well.

Christmas dinner is an important part of the Kenyan Christmas celebration. Usually there is a barbecue with friends and neighbors, serving e.g. beef, chicken, sheep or goat meat. The most famous Christmas food is “Nayama Choma”, grilled goat meat. It is considered the national dish in Kenya as well as in Tanzania and means “grilled meat” in Kiswahili. It is eaten with rice and flat bread. Some families also brew their own beer for the important occasion. Those who live in the city usually gather with friends or family in a bar or restaurant. The tradition of “Christmas Carolling,” parading around and singing Christmas carols, is also growing in popularity. Groups go from house to house and are rewarded for their singing with small donations of money or candy. The donations usually benefit the church. The gift-giving culture in Kenya is less pronounced than in Germany, for example, and usually only small gifts are given.

The second Christmas holiday is called Boxing Day, as in many English-speaking countries. On this day, people continue to celebrate, visit family and friends, or recover from previous celebrations.

Sources

https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/kenya.shtml
https://www.trafalgar.com/real-word/how-christmas-kenya-celebrated

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