“And the angel said unto them, "Fear not! For, behold, I bring you
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. "For unto you is
born this day in the city of David A Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And
this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes, lying in a manger." - Luukas 2:10-12
Hyvaa Ihmiset, Christmas is once again here with us, hurraaaay.
I believe by now everyone has got his or her Christmas shoes ready .Kokonsa
had already put on his shoes to meet Santa Claus on Christmas day. I am
always happy when I see snow falling on Christmas in Finland. That makes
Christmas a colourful occasion in Finland. I always smile when some Finns
asked me if there is snow in Africa. Mmmmh, may be Santa Claus can answer
this question.But honestly there is nothing like snow in Africa.
My good readers, I don’t find any vast difference on how Christmas is
celebrated in Africa, as compared to Finland. But I can be honest with you
that Christmas is more fun in Africa. This is because, in Africa, Christmas
is seen to be a time to reconcile with your friends .neighbors, families and
anyone who is dear to your heart. So the happiness is commonly shared. But
because of cultural difference, Finns enjoyed to be with their family than
friends. I don’t see anything wrong with it since everybody and his style of
play!
In Africa your neighbor or friend doesn’t care if on Christmas Eve you visit
him or her without notice! This may seems unbelievable to most readers and
most Finns will find it uncomfortable but it is real in Africa. Because we
believe that Christmas is the time to let your neighbor or friends know that
you are always available for him or her to share his or her happiness and
troubles. Because of this, depression is hardly mentioned in African
dictionary. But Finnish cultural doesn’t encourage that and to me that is
why it is always quiet on Christmas and people tend to be lonely and depress
if they have no one to celebrate Christmas with. So imagine how Kokonsa is
going to be lonely on Christmas day!
Because all my Finn friends says,”I am gonna be with my family and we see
after Christmas” So it is obvious that one does need to calculate the
probability that Kokonsa will be lonely on Christmas day! hehe. So Kokonsa
is going to sleep on Christmas and enjoy Christmas with his monkey bed. But
I can also tell my readers that I like the atmosphere in Finland during
Christmas than Africa, Why? It’s simply because few Christmas trees are
found in every homes in Africa. Christmas is not felt at the beginning of
December as it is in Finland until 20th December. That makes me like
Christmas in Finland.
Children are just told stories about Santa Claus and they receive gifts, which
may include chocolates, cookies, clothes, etc and the most interesting thing
is that, it is told to the children that these gifts have been sent by
Father Christmas (Santa Claus). In fact, I never knew Santa Claus was in
Finland until I set foot on this land of peace where happiness flows like
water and snow sparkle with joy.
In Ghana Christmas festival is associated with a big Christmas feast that
takes place in every corner of the country. Every home prepared rice and
goat or chicken soup or stew is because Fish is the cheapest thing. This
food is prepared in every home with friends, and neigbours are invited to
join hands and it is always fun to see friends and neigbours eating together
in one bowl as a sign of friendship to demonstrate the meaning of
Christmas.. Woooow !!!!!
After annual Christmas church service which is also done in Finland, people
actively participate in the celebration that takes place on the streets and
dancing and, drumming, with Christmas carols and I wish readers are there to
witness themselves..
However to Kokonsah, whether Christmas is fun in Africa, Europe, or Asia, the
most important is that, it is how people understand the day that matters and
not how one celebrates it. As Christmas is celebrated worldwide to remember
the birth of Christ, to me we should cherish peace and goodwill and have the
real spirit and taste of Christmas. Christmas should be seen as “Tenderness
of peace, courage for the present and hope for the future”Agnes Pharo.
On that note your humble servant Kokonsa will like to wish all his favourite
reader
Afehyiapa (Hyvaa Joulua). May all your dreams come true in the days ahead of
you.
Shalom!
