adminBy Monica Cheru-Mpambawashe Lifestyle Editor
We are some 47 days away from Christmas and the question on most people’s lips to that statement would be “So what?”. And well it should because it is no secret that the magical emotions aroused by Christmas in decades past is just no more. There was even a saying in Shona to describe any unexpected feast which went “Christmas yauya pakati pegore” which translates to mean that Christmas had come in the middle of the year. But what made is so great then, that is missing now? Here is a list of 10 things that made 25 December a day to look forward to each year some 50, 40 or even 30 years ago.
1. Feeding frenzy
The staple food for most Zimbabwean families was sadza and relish. Relish usually meant leaf greens with dry sugar beans and beef offal as the specials. But come Christmas, rice and chicken, carbonated drinks from bottle, tea with bread and butter piled sky high in rush winnowing trays would be provided by every family worth that name in abundance. And the food would be eaten like it would never be seen again, as it would not be until the next Christmas which was one whole year away.
2. New covers
This was usually the only chance for child, man and woman to acquire new rags. Clothes would usually be bought at the end of November when the bonuses came in. Children would spend the remaining days fervently waiting for the big day when they could put on those new clothes and shoes which proudly stated that your family was made of the right stuff. Never mind if the clothing was of the cheapest quality, it was new and that was all that mattered. But if you could rock up in the latest, mini, midi, georgette, viscose, drop waist, sting, supa pros, tender foots, mariposa or whatever else was hot those days, then your street creds would be good for another year.
3. A little bumb jive
For most young and old people Christmas meant music and dancing. This could be at shopping centres in rural and urban areas or at parties hosted by the better families who would have the latest sound system, gramophone, stereo, Hifi, or whatever was trending those days. It was also time to show that you were on the button as you sang along and danced to the latest tunes.
4. Family reunions
In many cases families were split as the work took the men to mines, towns and farms while the women and children farmed in the communal areas. Due to cost and difficult of travelling, visits were scarce and short. Christmas was the time when everyone could be together.
5. Ride of a lifetime
As an added bonus there was the chance to ride on the bus, an occurrence that was as rare as Christmas itself and would be comparable to travelling premier class on a long haul flight today.
6. Lighting up lives
For many kids and wives based in the communal areas, Christmas was often the best chance to visit daddy in the city and get to experience the magic of electricity as well as other urban innovations like TV, traffic lights, huge shops and trendy people.
7. Mending bridges
At Christmas time people would go around to the houses of their family kin, kith and friends to be feted. They would also return the favour and it would really be a season of goodwill to all mankind and many grudges would be buried in the heaps of food, sometimes never to be resurrected again.
8. Hobnobbing with the Haves
This was the time for poor cousins to gain access into the homes of their rich relatives and get a chance to experience how the other half lived. Never mind if we would consider the better half poverty stricken today, in those days those with a little bit more were always held in awe.
9. Rest from toil
This was a time to rest between periods of unceasing hard labour for most people. The rural population would be taking a breather in the midst of the backbreaking planting and hoeing season. For the manual labourers who made up the bulk of the workforce, it was a time to relax and take things easy for a short while before the usual slog started again in January.
10. Mating for life
Many people from the older generations say the rural social gatherings at Christmas provided avenues for selecting marriage partners.
It was then that young men assessed a girl’s bearing, apparent hygiene and hints of her interest in a potential suit. Girls on the other hand considered a man’s substance based on the material success that he would be demonstrating.
A dude who brought his parents and siblings new clothes and heaps of provisions and still had enough left over to spoil a girl with Choice Assorted biscuits and all the Fanta/Cherry Plum/Lemonade/Tarino she could drink was definitely the one to introduce to the paternal aunts to start the marriage process.
Online Reporter