Signs of Christmas

Here in Eldoret, signs of Christmas are a bit different than they typically might be in the US. Some things we take for granted in the US are rare; some just don't make sense; others are non-existent. Not to say people don't celebrate Christmas here. Actually most do. However, there isn't the sense of overwhelming materialism as people rush to the malls to do their last minute Christmas shopping in America.

First of all, there are no malls in Eldoret in spite of the fact that it has a population of over 600,000. The closest thing is a Nakumat, or an Ukwala, both supermarket chains here that are like a VERY small Walmart but about 10 percent the size of a normal Walmart. One sight that always makes me scratch my head is a lifesize robotic Santa Clause in front of Nakumat who jiggles and shakes (not completely out of the ordinary) but who likes belting out "The Yellow Rose of Texas (a major disconnect even if you are from Texas).

The stores here are not all decked out in Christmas lights and other Christmas decorations and neither are the houses although a few businesses and houses have artificial Christmas trees (the don't grow natural Christmas trees here). Of course we have a Christmas tree at our house/office in Eldoret and we have strung up a few Christmas lights.

We celebrated a Christmas party with the children in the feeding program at Kambe Teso on Friday, the 18th. The party focused mostly on giving these children beef stew for their lunch meal (beef is a luxury here and most families eat it only on special occasions; this is probably the only meal with beef these children will eat all year). Cheryl also baked several cakes the night before, enough to feed 120 children, and it was a big hit with the children. Several families that have sponsored children with Open Arms were also given food baskets purchased at the local Nakumat that will give them plenty of food to feed their families through the Christmas season.

We also had a Christmas dinner with the Open Arms staff here in Eldoret and out at the village. There are 26 employees in total and 22 of them joined Cheryl and I for dinner that evening. We took them out for dinner at Mamma Mias, a local restaurant owned by an Indian businessman who offers some good Indian, African, and American cuisine. We had a great time as most of the staff enjoyed their only dinner out all year, and some of them likely enjoyed their first dinner out ever. We had a Christmas quiz that evening which had some interesting results. I made most of the questions centered around the Christmas story in the Bible, but Cheryl thought some questions were too difficult so she added a few cultural questions that may seem obvious in our culture. Interestingly, most everyone did excellent on the Biblical portion of the quiz but most people didn't do as well at the cultural portion of the quiz (my theory is that most Africans did not inherit the cultural portions of Christmas from their colonial counterparts - in the case of Kenya, the British - but they do tend to be more Biblically literate than Americans or Europeans).

Here is the quiz as follows. I made it up myself, and I've given it or a similar quiz in various venues, but no one has gotten 100% as of yet. The best anyone did at the Christmas dinner was 15 out of 20 correct. Try your hand at it and e-mail the answers back to me.

To be fair to those who took the test in Eldoret, try and take this without consulting the Bible or any other resources other than your own memory.

A Christmas Quiz

1. How many wise men or Magi came to visit Jesus?
a. one
b. more than one
c. seven
d. three

2. Where was Jesus born?
a. Nazareth
b. Jerusalem
c. Eldoret
d. Bethlehem

3. To which continent did Jesus’ family flee when King Herod tried to kill him?
a. Africa
b. Asia
c. The Middle East
d. Europe

4. Which two people prophesied at Jesus’ circumcision?
a. Zechariah and Elizabeth
b. Simeon and Anna
c. Ananias and Saphira
b. Mary and Joseph

5. Where did Jesus grow up?
a. Nazareth
b. Jerusalem
c. Bethlehem
d. Caesarea

6. How old was Jesus when he was circumcised?
a. One day old
b. Eight days old
c. Eight years old
d. Fifteen years old

7. Jesus was born in a manger. The manger was also used as:
a. A storage container
b. A room for storing grain
c. A feeding trough for animals
d. A hostel for travelers to sleep in

8. Who was the Roman Emperor during the birth of Jesus?
a. Augustus
b. Quirinius
c. Tiberius
d. Julius

9. Who witnessed the birth of Jesus?
a. Mary, Joseph, shepherds, angels, and wise men
b. Mary, Joseph, shepherds, King Herod, angels, and wise men
c. Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah, angels, and wise men
d. Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and angels.

10. Which prophet prophesied where Jesus would be born?
a. Isaiah
b. Jeremiah
c. Zechariah
d. Micah

11. Who started the tradition of celebrating Christmas with a Christmas Tree?
a. Jesus
b. St. Nicholas
c. Martin Luther
d. St. Augustine

12. In which modern country was St. Nicholas born?
a. Greece
b. Germany
c. Turkey
d. Israel

13. Where does St. Nicholas currently live?
a. Eldoret
b. The North Pole
c. Heaven
d. Jerusalem

14. Who started the tradition of hanging Christmas stockings under the chimney?
a. Jesus
b. St. Nicholas
c. Martin Luther
d. St. Augustine

15. Who is the most famous reindeer of all?
a. Donnor
b. Blitzen
c. Comet
d. Rudolph

16. What sign did the wise men follow to find Jesus?
a. A rainbow
b. A dove
c. A star
d. A road sign

17. What day is Christmas celebrated?
a. Saturday
b. Sunday
c. 1st January
d. 25th December

18. What is a White Christmas?
a. A Christmas when it snows
b. A Christmas where everyone wears white clothing
c. A Christmas when all the presents are wrapped in white
d. A Christmas when the Christmas tree is sprayed with white flocking

19. What tradition takes place under the mistletoe?
a. A special kiss
b. A special dance
c. A special gift
d. A special poem is recited

20. What does the phrase “deck the halls” mean?
a. Decorating a house with holly
b. Dancing at a Christmas party
c. Attending a Christmas church service
d. Wearing a special Christmas outfit

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we will be spending time at the village with the children and the house parents and introducing them to the tradition of Christmas stockings, a tradition they are completely unfamiliar with. They do exchange gifts every year at Christmas and the children typically receive a gift of new clothing but stockings will be a new and hopefully exciting tradition for them. The second existing home of children at the village, the Upendo house (that is Kiswahili for "love") which includes Peter and Stella Kimeli and the 14 children they care for, moved into their new home just in time for Christmas. The children were excited as they wandered around from room to room exploring their new home.

In addition, shortly before the house was ready, both houses were hooked up with electricity from the generator that runs the well (this is a short term solution for electricity but it provides electrical power for the village at least a few hours every day). As the electricity was turned on for the first time earlier this week, at least one or two of the house parents and all of the children got to experience their very first hot shower. What a great Christmas present (although we have to ration the time some of them want to spend in the shower, with it being such a novelty).

Tomorrow, on Christmas Eve, Cheryl and I will go to the village laden with Christmas stockings for the children and house parents. We'll fill the truck full, eat lots of lamb at the village Christmas dinner, and share the Christmas story with 28 children and 4 house parents. We will send another blog this weekend after all of us have celebrated Christmas with our families. Cheryl and I want to wish you a Sikukuu Njema (Merry Christmas) for you and your loved ones.

Mungu Acuba Riki (God bless you)

Matt and Cheryl