Zimbabwe: Memories of a Village Xmas

16 December 2014

IN this village homestead, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we paid respect to Jesus Christ because he saved us from our sins. Then we poured beer on the ground before the elders drank it to give respect to our ancestors, because we believed that they understood our problems because they lived in this village before they died. In death, they were a lot closer to God and Jesus Christ than we were. But my grandmother, Mbuya VaMandirowesa, paid little attention to the birth of Jesus Christ. She did not even believe that He was born on Christmas Day and that He was the Son of the Virgin Mary and also the Son of God.

One Christmas time, before independence, Mbuya VaMandirowesa ordered the killing of a beast for us to eat, mombe yemadiro. Mbuya said she wanted the beast killed on Christmas Day.

...

AllAfrica publishes around 400 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.