Holidays in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Our PioneerPlanet Holiday Series and the Fall 2013 Finals Week are quickly coming to an end! We wish everyone a safe and wonderful winter break, and hope that you've enjoyed reading our holiday posts. We've enjoyed writing them, and in the process, learning more about the world in which we live! Keep reading because in this post we have the holidays in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or DRC for short, and last but not least, Nate will finish up the week with the holidays in Greece. If you've missed the previous posts, we've covered the holidays in Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, the United Kingdom,  Holland, Brazil, the Basque Country, Japan, Burkina Faso, and Thailand.

The Congo River

Over 75 million people live in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the second largest country in Africa by area, and the 11th largest in the world. Right next door is located the Republic of the Congo. Despite the similarities in names, these are two distinct countries with separate histories. The DRC gained its independence from Belgium on the 30th of June, 1960. Throughout recent history, it has been known by many names including Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Republic of the Congo, and Zaire.

The Democratic Republic of Congo

The land area of the DRC in comparison with that of the USA

Neighboring country: Republic of the Congo

The official language of the DRC is French, with Lingala, Kikongo, Swahili and Tshiluba as other nationally recognized languages. The city of Kinshasa, located on the Congo River, is the designated capital of the DRC with a population of over 9 million people. Kinshasa is also the second largest francophone urban area in the world, after Paris.

Kinshasa skyline by night

When it comes to religion, the DRC has a relatively long history of Christianity, beginning with the arrival of the Roman Catholic Church in the late 1500's. Later on, as in many places around the world, the colonial powers worked hand in hand with Christian missionaries, further cementing the religion's hold in the country. Today, 35 million people in the DRC are Roman Catholics, translating to roughly half of the population. 80-95% of the total population, whether Roman Catholic or not, identifies as Christian. In very recent years, Islam has been slowly growing as a religious presence as well.

A church in Kindu, DRC

In terms of the holidays, this means that Christmas is widely celebrated in the DRC. However, unlike many of the countries which we have covered so far, Christmas in the Democratic Republic of Congo is more of a religious observation than a commercialized holiday. To learn more about the holidays, I spoke with Dr. Annie Kinwa-Muzinga, from the UW-Platteville Department of Agriculture, who is from the DRC. I learned that gift giving is not traditionally a part of Christmas. Instead, Congolese celebrate with their families by attending church, which usually begins at 10:00 pm and runs until 12:00 a.m. Some stay to continue to pray until the dawn.

Dawn on the Congo River, which separates DRC capital Kinshasa from Republic of the Congo capital Brazzaville

Another important tradition for Roman Catholic families is to watch the Pope's Christmas Address on T.V. Dr. Annie talked about Christmas memories of watching the Pope's Address every year on a small black and white T.V. set as a child.

Pope Francis

While Christmas may be more of a spiritual holiday, the celebration of New Year's on the other hand, is a much noisier holiday! It's called "Cross Over", referring to the moment when the old year crosses over into the new. Congolese gather for a big dinner with their families and this is generally an occasion on which meat is eaten. For those with the means, a goat or cow will be slaughtered for the meal. For others, chicken or fish makes up the special dish. Those in the community who are wealthier generally hold fancy parties for the occasion. Once again, there is a heavily spiritual component, and beginning at 8 p.m., the churches are packed and the people sing and dance until midnight. It is felt that the crossing over of the New Year should be spent with God, so at about a quarter to midnight, the pastor will ask everyone to begin praying.  About 30 minutes later, Dr. Annie says, the parties begin! People dance and sing in the streets, and visit all of the parties wishing a "Happy New Year!" to everyone along the way. As the New Year begins on the morning of the 1st of January, you will see kids with brand new clothes. New Year is celebrated in the DRC for the entire month of January. All the way up until the 31st of January you will continue to hear New Year's greetings and people will often expect small gifts as well! 

Thanks to Dr. Annie for her help! If you are interested in learning more about the Democratic Republic of the Congo, check out this article, from CNN, "10 Things to Know Before Visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo." It discusses things such as the music scene in the DRC as a main export of the country, the Congolese affinity for mayonnaise, and the wildlife (Okapis!) of the country, among other topics. Additionally, be sure to visit the U.S. Department of State's Factsheet or the BBC's Overview for more general information. (Note: the DRC is also a country currently facing immense challenges, with a brutal recent history, including the Second Congo War begun in 1998 and with fighting continuing today. The United Nations has called this country the "rape capital of the world." Travelers are currently advised not to visit the DRC. These are not issues I discussed in the blog post, but there are ample information sources online that I would encourage everyone to utilize to learn more about what is occurring. To begin with, read the numerous articles pertaining to the DRC on the New York Times, or from the Wall Street Journal, or any other sources you may find.)

Joyeux Noël from Burkina Faso!

Holiday Series Day 3: Joyeux Noël from Burkina Faso!

You're probably wondering why I would bid you Merry Christmas in French when referencing the small African country of Burkina Faso? Well, if you guessed colonization as the method behind the madness, you're correct. Since Burkina Faso is a former underling of the well-renowned art loving, delicious food making and Paris touting nation of France, the official language also happens to be French. Now, I sadly cannot claim to have witnessed the splendor of the holiday season in Burkina Faso, but with a little help from the world wide web and tales from my friend Miguel (a born and raised Burkinabe), I managed to dig up some details on this small countries big plans for the holidays.

Firstly, let's take a gander at where Burkina Faso is on the map, so that you can get an idea of location. That's right, north western Africa is correct. Take a moment and marvel at that splendid little flag. Nice, isn't it?

There it is!

 Now, I realize that as you gaze upon the Sindou Mountains, holiday spirit is probably not your first thought. It's not exactly what one would call a winter wonderland per se.

Not exactly what comes to mind in terms of "Winter Wonderland"

But, believe it or not, holiday traditions, in particular Christmas and Ramadan, are very strong in this small country in the heart of Africa. As mentioned previously, colonization played a key role in how Burkinabés celebrate the holidays. The French influence has given them a love for everything Christmas such as Père Noël (Santa Claus french style), Christmas trees as decor and gift giving. Despite their colonial background, the majority of Burkinabes practice Islam. It seems though that there is general view of tolerance towards all religions. A common Burkinabe saying is, "50% are Muslim, 50% are Christian, and 100% are animist." Let's talk a bit about Christmas to start us off. 

Christmas Traditions

The Christmas holiday in Burkina Faso is centered around Pere Noel, or Father Christmas, coming to visit the well behaved children on his list. Sound familar? Well, on top of that Pere Noel has helpers called the Pre Fouettard who keep track of who has been good or bad that year. In France, it is common for Pere Noel to come once on December 6 and then again on Christmas day. It is also customary that they have dinner at midnight as a family on December 24. Called Le Reveillon, it is a time for reflection, joy and togetherness. They have a cake called La Buche de Noel that is served after the dinner. 

 

La Buche de Noel! Essentially a log of delightful goodness.

Burkina Faso does things a bit differently than her French forebears. Christmas decor during the high time of the season is still seen throughout the streets of all Burkinas major cities and above all else the holiday season is still a time for family, food and celebration of faith. However, for most Burkina natives Christmas eve night is when families gather within the church or around the dinner table, singing, dancing and celebrating till the late hours in honor of Christ's birth. The rest of the holiday season is devoted to visits from family, friends and neighbors, with meals that include everything except rice or other daily staple foods. It is quite normal for neighbors and family to come over unexpectedly during the Christmas season with the expectation of a full meal. 

Similar to French customs, gifts are given, but not with the same emphasis or over-exuberance as western society. If a family has the funds, the children will each generally receive one or two gifts of clothing or sometimes other small items. Exchange of gifts between adults is not done usually, especially in the more rural areas. 

 In bigger cities, such as the capital of Ouagadougou, Christmas festivities have taken on a more commercial feel with holiday lights strewn across street ways, random Christmas decorations for sale along the streets and small Pere Noel or Papa Noel dolls sold on the street corners. In the more rural ares of Burkina Faso, the Christian celebrations go quite differently.

Father Christmas dolls can be bought on every street corner

Decorations for sale on the streets of Ouagadougou

Some festive holiday lights in the capital, Ouagadougou

More decorations in Ouagadougou

Celebrations are far more simple in the rural ares of Burkina Faso. Decorations are pretty much non-existent, but there is one thing that helps showcase the holiday spirit: hand made creche. In place of the nativity, Christian children from Burkina Faso generally construct a small creche outside their residence in December to commemorate the holiday and in particular the Christ child. Mostly done in the rural villages, these small scenes are fashioned from the elements and contain small figures of the nativity such as Mary, Joseph and the Christ child.

A traditional creche made by a few young Burkinabé

And so, in answer to Band Aid's musical question in 1984, yes, they do know it's Christmas. For some reason that song seems slightly arrogant to my ears now. Oh Band Aid...

                     

                                                                                    

 

Ramadan and Tabaski

Now, if you were paying attention and are still with me (I know this has been a tad long, hence the video break), then you realize I have yet to speak on the Muslim traditions held by the Burkina Faso population: Ramadan and Tabaski. Granted, Ramadan and Tabaski don't fall on the same dates each year as they rotate with the moon, but they do still fall within what is deemed the "holiday season." For those of you who don't know, Ramadan is a period of fasting that is part of the five pillars that make up the Islamic faith. During Ramadan, practicing Muslims cannot eat between sunrise and sunset. The fast lasts for about 29-30 days depending on the moon, and at the end of the fast is celebrated with Eid al-Fitr or the "festivity of breaking the fast." 

Tabaski or Eid ul-Adha is the second festival of the year. It goes by many names, but they all bear the essential meaning "feast of sacrifice." During this celebration men, women and children are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform the Eid prayer in a large congregation of people. Often an animal is sacrificed as a symbol of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son. Generally, the animal is supposed to be divided up into thirds: one third to the family, another to friends/neighbors and the final third to the poor and needy. 

A goat about to be sacrificed for Tabaski.

 

Miguel's Perspective

Alright, now that we've covered a bit of background regarding Burkinas traditions and festivities, I thought it'd be nice to get an insiders perspective. Miguel Camara, an international student studying at the UW- Platteville, is a born and raised Burkinabe. In fact, he was my inspiration for writing this blog update. Unlike most Burkina Faso natives, however, Miguel's family celebrates holidays for both religions. Since his mother is Christian and his dad is Muslim, they practice Christmas, Ramadan and Tabaski. Although Miguel couldn't be sure which he liked best, he said that the best parts are the family time, and the food! His favorite Christmas food is the le Dinde de Noel, essentially a lovely and perfectly cooked turkey. He said that he found it strange that Americans put such emphasis on turkey for Thanksgiving when in his country it is traditionally a Christmas meal. For Ramadan apparently lamb is the normal meal for his family, and it doesn't matter how you want it cooked, as long as you eat it. During Tabaski his family keeps it traditional and sacrifices a sheep each year. The meat is generally grilled to perfection and on occasion his mother will make a soup to compliment the meal.

Le Dinde de Noel in all it's glory

Besides the food, Miguel said the gifts are a pretty interesting part of the festivities. Apparently only wealthy families exchange gifts, but since each person is supposed to have a new outfit for each holiday, most get their outfits as their present. He said, and I quote, "We usually have "boubou" (you can google African boubou) during Muslim holidays. We can go to the tailor and he makes an outfit for us. During Christmas, we have new outfits too. It is usually an outfit with Jesus' image on it."

And so I googled African Boubou... Accurate Miguel? Stylish to be sure.

No, but in all seriousness, Miguel said the most important part of the holiday season to him is spending time with family and friends.  He says he can't think of a specific family memory to attribute to the season, but that it was always nice to take a break from school and just spend time at home with his family. Miguel also said that it can be quite hard studying in the US where Muslim holidays are not recognized- he actually has to go to school while his family is at home celebrating. When we finished out our chat, the last thing Miguel informed me of was what he misses most about Christmas time: building a creche with his family. Considering that Miguel is an engineering student, it doesn't surprise me much that he takes such great joy in fashioning their own creative creche.

A beautifully done creche.

 
Alright folks, that's all I have for now. Special thanks to BBC for the selection of photos from Ouagadougou, also a shout-out to Jan Larsen for the insight into Christmas festivities outside the capital. Lastly, a big thanks to Miguel! Hopefully you enjoyed reading this post as much as I did writing it. Stay tuned for tomorrow's edition of the Holiday Series. Nate will be delving into the holiday customs of Japan and it's  クリスマス festivities!

Joyeux Noël everyone!