How Christmas Used to be in My Village
by Growing up as little boy, the only day we would look to with anticipation was christmas.
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I hail from Northern Uganda, a part of our beautiful country that has seen over two decades of war and suffering. It is the land of the Acholis-a proud, tall and dark skinned people who used to have a truly egalitarian way of life that was guided by their wonderful customs and traditions.
Growing up in my little village, the only day that stood auspiciously a part from the rest of the days of years was Christmas. That would be the day we would officially eat meat, slaughtered from our own herds and flocks. Never mind that my father had some close 60 heads of cattle and close to 40 goats which we the young boys had a duty to look after each and every day but non of them would be slaughtered for us to feast on. All we would get was the milk, not the meat. The meat we would eat in between the Christmas days would be wild game meat like squirrels, giant rats, duikers, bush back and other larger games that we would communally hunt.
Christmas would be awaited with a beaten heart-we the boys would get together and go out to look for odd jobs which mainly comprised of digging, picking cotton and collecting building materials from the wild fro the richer peasants around us.. Our efforts would be rewarded with some petty money which we would save till the last week to Christmas. Our savings would be used to buy Christmas clothes to ensure we were at our best on Christmas day. Every body attempted to go church on Christmas day-infact, there were village folks who went to church once a year, usually on Christmas days.
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After prayers, we would get home to a grand feast. The entire village would be invited to one host home. Food would be served in three main categories. The elderly men would sit in a large circle and their well prepared meal of mainly beef and mutton would be served. The women and the girls would also have their own circle with the little kids by their sides. The boys of 12 and above would have their own dish of food in their own wing.
This would be immediately followed by dancing and drinking of local brews, some of which would have very high alcoholic content. The drunk would be helped to get home. We the fairly older boys would go over to the next villages to look for young girls with whom to dance and have a true exciting Christmas night. A few of our brothers would be left home to watch over our older sisters who could easily be poached by boys from other villages.
Sad enough, the 20 years of war destroyed the close communal ties that the Acholis used to enjoy. Now people live individual lives and enjoy their Christmas quietly in their homes. What is left today of our typical Christmas celebration is nothing but the nostalgia of the old good days.
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