Recently, we asked Ava Weeks, Rivertree’s missionary to Uganda, to tell us about how Christmas is generally celebrated by Christians there. When she asked the staff at 60 Feet, they were so excited to share that one of the staff members even sent photos of their family Christmas celebration to share with us! Please enjoy hearing this story from our brothers and sisters around the world, and we can remember each other in our prayers: heard by our God who knows no boundaries.
From Ava:
“On the way to Kamp, I asked the staff to tell me about Christmas traditions here and I wish you could have seen and heard the excitement as they told me one story after another. They all agreed it was the happiest time of the year. Here is what happens in most of the homes in Uganda.
Families get together and that usually means the families return to their home village. The staff all agreed that when they go to the village they go laden with gifts. Those gifts are things like sugar, cooking oil, sodas, rice, Blue Band (margarine), a gomesi (a traditional dress) for Grandmother, and clothes for the children. Everyone waits in great anticipation for the Christmas meal as it is the very best meal of the year. They look for the best matoke (similar to plantains) in the matoke plantation and keep a close eye on it until it is time to cut it down and prepare it.
The meal usually consists of the same food they eat for other special occasions but there is a lot more of it!! They have matoke, beans, rice, 2 chickens instead of 1, sometimes beef, greens, posho (a stiff maize flour porridge), and the biggest treat of all – a soda!!
They said one thing you don’t want to do on Christmas day is be on dish duty!! They all told stories about having to wash dishes for hours when they were kids! They giggled as they compared notes on who had the most dishes to wash.
As I sat and listened to them, and saw the sheer joy on their faces as they talked about celebrating Christmas, I thanked the Lord for the privilege of living here [Uganda] and learning so much from these dear friends.”
“Life is so good!! A Merry Christmas for sure!!”
