Christmas the South African way

Santa Claus and his reindeers are not real. I thought I should mention that at the beginning so that we are all well aware that this will not be your typical Christmas article.

Unfortunately, it never snows on Christmas on the coast so the closest reenactment of ‘Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh’ can only be attempted on the dunes at the beach.

2020 has put a spin on the traditional South Coast Christmas with the beaches having restricted access to the public.

However, this is South Africa and if there’s anything we all know about our fellow citizens, nothing gets in the way of a good time.

After the President’s announcement of beach restrictions last week, a rather interesting substitute emerged.

Rivers, lakes and dams suddenly became some sort of utopia for many looking to cool off during this festive season.

Dashing through the snow? No. Swimming in the Mzimkhulu river? Why not?

Although this is not your typical South African festive celebration, one can definitely expect to see similar celebrations of this nature on Christmas Day.

However, such behaviour is risky and one faces the possibility of contracting other diseases, such as cholera and warnings have been sent out to avoid swimming in rivers and dams.

On the bright side, in some ways it attests to the spirit of the people in our country. They always find a way.

Meanwhile, in rural areas there will be those looking forward to slaughtering the fattest sheep, pig or cow as they welcome the return of a family member(s), who was last heard from over seven years ago.

So, if one is to ask themselves, or if asked by a foreigner, ‘What do South Africans do for Christmas?’ the honest answer is: ‘Whatever they want’.

And that’s the true beauty of being a South African.

In a country with 11 official languages, it’s no surprise culture and tradition is what we make of it.

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