CHRISTMAS is meant to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.
As we grew up in then Rhodesia, Christmas was the most visible annual event in the Western Christian churches.
But its tentacles spread far beyond those who identified with the Christian Church.
As we have pointed out in earlier articles, the Christian religion is one of the major shackles preventing the African people from coming into their own as it were.
Virtually all citizens have been forced by overwhelming circumstances to accept and somehow celebrate Christmas.
As we grew up, we became accustomed to celebrating Christmas as an annual event.
My recollection is there was never any real reference to religion except for those who went to church.
As children, we expected to be given new clothes to wear on Christmas Day, when our parents could afford them.
Many rural people drank tea only once a year, on Christmas Day.
I still recollect the taste of that tea.
It was unique.
Tea was not tea unless it came with bread.
That bread also had a unique taste that today’s bread lacks.
The Christmas tea came with thick slices of bread liberally smeared with ‘manyuchi’, a kind of ‘jam’ made from brown sugar or margarine and whatever else.
Those with cattle garnished the tea with milk.
Tea with milk then lost its traditional taste; it took on another still unique ‘Christmas’ taste.
These must have been the origins of Zex Manatsa’s popular ‘tii hobvu’ or thick tea, well-liked by apostolic church members!
I remember my parents sending me to the local township to ‘register’ our requirements in terms of the number of dozens of loaves of bread that we required, at least a fortnight before Christmas Day.
The bread orders were paid for in advance.
As children growing up in the impoverished ‘Tribal Trust Lands’ (as communal areas were called then), we waited with great anticipation for the ‘great’ day when we could eat this special food called ‘chingwa’ or bread.
I understand bakeries were instructed by the white colonial Government to bake extra bread for ‘our Africans’ during the festive season.
It was made to sound like an act of charity by the white business establishment. But there were no freebies!
The poor Africans had to scratch around to pay for the sugar, bread and jam they ate to celebrate Christmas.
Another ‘delicacy’ enjoyed at Christmas was rice.
With rice would come various meat dishes: chicken, goat, lamb and, of course, beef.
Again it was those who owned such livestock who could afford to enjoy meat dishes.
Local people often gathered at rural service centres (also called townships) or at the homes of prominent citizens who had the resources to throw what may be described as ‘Christmas Party’ for the poor and less privileged.
What is clear is Christmas was a time to relax and enjoy life.
It was and remains a popular holiday in Zimbabwe.
However, we began by highlighting that Christmas commemorates the birth of the ‘Son of God’ according to the Christian faith.
Many family members, children included, are shepherded to various church services during Christmas, even though they have no inkling of what it is all about.
Claims that Zimbabwe is a Christian country are often based on the near universal celebration of Christmas.
But are the celebrants cognisant and actively involved in the religious dimension that Western Christian Churches always harp on?
First, Christmas commemorations have been used, and continue to be used, to impose a Christian ethos on a population whose majority are not active Christian members.
To that extent, it infringes on the people’s freedom to pursue their own cultural beliefs.
By making it an official holiday, Government (both colonial and present) is indirectly forcing citizens to recognise a foreign socio-cultural practice.
Second, the majority of those commemorating Christmas have little or no interest in the religious aspects.
To them it is a popular holiday to visit family and friends.
Certainly as we grew up, at all the gatherings that we attended as part of Christmas celebrations, there never was any mention of the birth of Christ Jesus or the significance thereof.
Third, perhaps the most enduring image of Christmas is the commercial dimension.
Billions of US dollars-worth of business is transacted during the Christmas festive season.
Economists will be in a better position to quantify the financial benefits.
One could legitimately ask this question: Who do people serve during Christmas?
God or Mammon?
The answer is simple and clear: Mammon!
There is money to be made over the Christmas festivities.
So if truth be told, the popularity of Christmas has little or nothing to do with commemorating the birth of Jesus!
First, people are looking for an excuse to slow down and rest.
Others wish to take their families to leisure spots dotted around the country.
Yet others are looking to fill their tummies with food and drink.
And business people look to make money selling clothes, food and other trinkets associated with this Western pagan practice.
In Zimbabwe, the Christmas period is referred to as the festive season.
Large numbers of people visit their rural homes to be with parents, relatives and friends.
Christmas is a major component of cultural imperialism.
African cultural practices have largely been displaced by this Western pagan-based religious practice.
The whole population has been diverted and mobilised to support what are essentially commercially-based practices.
When I asked my wife what she thought of Christmas her answer was: “Well it is an arrangement where the poor enrich the rich.
By tying the pagan commemoration to the birth of Jesus Christ, a revered God-figure, commercial interests have found a smart way to corner a huge chunk of people’s income.”
I agree,
When I ‘googled’ the history of Christmas, I learnt that it is essentially a re-incarnation of a week-long Roman pagan holiday called Saturnalia.
The Puritans actually banned it because of its pagan origins.
Apparently the pagan holiday was held in winter, with December 25 being the last day of the Saturnalia festival.
The Germans used a tree in the festival which has evolved to be the Christmas tree.
Records show that this festival pre-dates the birth of Jesus by centuries.
Clearly an ancient pagan festival has been hijacked and is being used largely to create a strong domineering Christian religious festival that has nothing to do with Jesus.
As Zimbabweans, we have many religious and traditional festivals that we should elevate and commemorate instead of being bound to Western paganism through a fake Christian festival that has no link to our own roots or to Musikavanhu, our Creator.