Bright walls, new clothes - and a feast for all - 24/12/01
SIVUYILE MANGXAMBA
IT IS Christmas Eve and the village of Ntshilini in the Transkei is buzzing in anticipation of the big day.
The walls of the huts in the village, south-east of Umtata, have been cleaned with kalika (white powder) to brighten them.
Inside, the floors have been spotlessly cleaned with cow dung. "Christmas is always a beautiful day here. I just hope it does not rain tomorrow," said villager Skati Gosa, who was late in ploughing his mealie fields due to heavy rains which swept through parts of Transkei in late November.
For many years Christmas has been taken seriously in this part of the world, which is populated by just under 3 000 people.
Willem Stadler of the Dutch Reformed Church, whose church was set up by missionaries more than 50 years ago, said: "For the villagers this is the day when families come together and have a big feast."
While Christmas pudding, turkey and other traditional western dishes might not be on the menu, a big feast is still held, with hearty traditional African foods.
The village is built along the Wild Coast and its people interact with the western world through meeting tourists who come to enjoy the beautiful beaches of Umtata Mouth and Coffee Bay.
Children here do not dream of a white Christmas or of Santa Claus bringing them gifts. Instead, they look forward to receiving new clothes from their uncles and fathers who work in the mines of Egoli (Johannesburg).
These young people trust, just like they know that the sun will rise in the east, that their migrant relatives and other working family members will buy them Christmas clothes.
But Stadler, who has preached in the village for 20 years, concedes that "the Western influence is strong now".
"Most villagers copy a lot of things from the holidaymakers who come from urban areas," he says.
"In the village there are lots of braais and parties during the Christmas period. But in the church we try to keep the youth and parents busy by having an informal service and a big feast.
"The congregation slaughters a sheep and eats it with umngqusho, cabbage, and potatoes."
In fact amaqoboka (black Africans who have converted to Christianity and live the Western way of life) go to church early on Christmas Day to observe the birth of Christ before going out to enjoy a huge lunches with relatives and friends.
Sheep, goats and chickens are slaughtered on Christmas Eve or early in the morning of Christmas Day in preparation for the feast.
While this is done other people at another kraal will be singing and dancing loudly.
The affluent families bake bread, cakes and scones, and a variety of foods are cooked so that the less fortunate can also enjoy the feast.
Drinkers enjoy good wine, beer, brandy and whisky. At Christmas few villagers are interested in drinking umqombothi (traditional African beer).
Gosa said: "Even if we eat Iinkube (boiled maize) the whole year we know that on Christmas we get good food. Even the meat is not cooked in the normal way."
This is just a day of goodwill and showing ubuntu. Everyone in the village is in a good mood. The kids shout Christmas box and go from house to house asking for "Christmas".
Nolusindiso Mege, another villager, says on Christmas Day some villagers go to the beach for beer parties and a swim.
"Most villagers might not go to the beach on a hot day, but on Christmas, even if it's raining, you will find hundreds of families swimming and having a good time."
For some elders Christmas has lost its appeal. They complain that the young men drink too much. "This used to be a big day in the village. Intsizwe (young adult men) would go around the village performing indlami (a traditional pondo war dance)," said one elderly villager, affectionately known as Ntshilini.
"How can you enjoy Christmas when the mines are closing down and people are being retrenched. People here used to have lots of cattle, sheep and goats.
They ploughed vast fields. But that is not happening any more."
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