The festive season is upon us, and just like in every other year the vibe is so on! People are running around doing this and that. People are in a jolly mood already, and the shopping malls are forever busy with parents running around buying their kids Christmas clothes. Some are getting Christmas presents for their beloved friends, families and partners. It’s all joy around the country.
For most people, it is also a time for celebration and a chance for many to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city to spend quality time with those who are important and close to them. Many will be travelling to their home villages to spend the Christmas holidays with their families.
But what really is the fuss about Christmas day and the festive season? Why do people get so excited, to the extent of some bury themselves in debts just to make this day a memorable one for their loved ones?
Christmas is a wonderful time of year.
It’s the perfect time to get families together. I remember when I was still at my primary school; I was also fussy about the season. I used to stay back at the home village with my granny and uncle. We only saw the rest of the family during holidays. Christmas was such a wonderful time for me because it meant the end of loneliness, as the family household would be swamped with cousins and relatives, and we would be one big family all over again.
My aunties would wake up early in the morning and prepare delicious Christmas lunch for the whole family. Later in the afternoon they would leave for the choir competitions. The food was especially delicious because Christmas meals were special in that they always consisted of delicacies that we had never had in the course of the year.
Not forgetting the new clothes and toys we received from friends and families.
The Sunday Standard reporter went onto the streets of Gaborone to hear from different people what they like and why they appreciate about Christmas day.
Mingier Modish narrated that for her the season is of great value. She noted that it is the only season and day of the year that she gets to get together with her family. “I value the day because it brings our family get together. There is also more food and booze for us to enjoy with our friends and families,” she said.
She added that Christmas day alone also boosts her belief in Christianity that Jesus existed. “Africans also believe that the sun also does a funny dance in the mornings. My assumption is that the whole planet is rejoicing, I mean dancing relates with happiness and it is not every day that we see the sun dancing!” she added.
For Ewes Phones, it is a day when he gets to meet family and get together with long lost relatives.
Tafadzwa Ranganai said that during Christmas differences are put aside and people celebrate the fact that they are all alive and well.
So, let’s all go home and enjoy the best of our families and friends companies. No matter how much they annoy us, they are our blood and it seems this is the only chance we get that chance for a family come together!
