Christmas Day Revisited

Christmas Day was memorable in many ways. It was one of the few Christmas Days in my adult memory when I didn't help with meal preparations or clean-up in some way. I didn't even help clear the table. That was sort of weird for me and I felt like a bit of a bum.

The meal was a real feast, all cooked over an open fire. Since there were about fifty people present, the quantities were massive. I've never seen so much matooke in one place. Matooke is traditionally steamed in banana leaves which are wrapped around the matooke. Matooke, for those who may not remember, is cooked bananas. Check out the link if you want more details. Of course, it was served with ground nut sauce. Since I despise peanut butter, it would be reasonable to assume I don't like ground nut sauce, but it tastes nothing like peanut butter and I really do like it.

It gets a little embarrassing to be treated as the guest of honor, but once again Bry'Chell and I were seated at a table with a few other adults, which can only be described as the head table, although it would be more accurate to say it was the only table. The other family members were seated on mats or in chairs under a canopy or under a tree. It's fair to say everyone looked comfortable and happy.

The weather was warm and sunny, although things clouded over for a while and it rained. The rain wasn't much. It did help cool off the day and cut down the dust which made for a nice change.

After the meal, Bry'Chell, Immaculate (a grand niece of Fr. Henry's) and another girl headed off for a walk. They left about 4:00 PM with instructions to be back before dark. From what Bry'Chell said, they walked quite a distance. It's a good mile and a half to the church and I know they walked to the local trading center, probably another two or more miles beyond the church and back again.

In typical adolescent fashion, they made it back just as it was getting dark. On the way back they had stopped to play volleyball with some other kids.

I spent the afternoon chatting with other adults or staring off into space when the conversation shifted to Luganda.

Gerard, Fr. Henry's older brother and the one who lives on the family land, told his sons and nephews to wash the dishes since the women had cooked. That might not sound like much, but in a VERY patriarchal society, this was an incredibly egalitarian move.

After the meal Henry and some of his nephews strung up lights and set up music for dancing and listening. I listened. The children danced, even the little ones. Once evening turned into night some of the teens joined in the dancing. Bry'Chell returned in time for some dancing and a turn at being DJ.

Bry'Chell is developing a real appreciation for local music, both the more traditional and the pop music. As she says, Ugandans listen to American music, but Americans don't know Ugandan music and artists. We're going to try to get some music on CDs or tapes to bring home.

We had another light meal late in the evening. Like at home, it was leftovers from earlier in the day. They were just as good the second time around.

I gave Fr. Henry's mom one of the pictures of Mother Theodore that Jody made for me. The family pretty Catholic, so I thought she would like it. I'll try to take a picture of it and put it on the blog. It's not the holy card picture, but a mixed media composition that I really like.

The living room and dining room had family pictures, pictures of Jesus and Mary, and soccer posters. Oh yeah, there was a picture of the bishop. I suspect all say something about family interests and values.

The guest room where Bry'Chell and I stayed had two twin bed, complete with mosquito nets and linoleum on the floor which is a step above the bare concrete at our own house.

The house has solar panels which power the electric lights and a black-and-white television in the evening. There's indoor plumbing, although no piped-in hot water. It's a very comfortable house with the usual corrugated metal roof.

It was a long day and when we finally went to bed we were pretty whipped.