A Taste of Christmas from around the world!

posted at 1:56pm, 24 Dec 09 by Alex [ 0 comments ]

While you are sitting down to the traditional roast dinner tomorrow, we thought we’d share with you some of the festive traditions from around the world – Cafédirect now works with 40 producer organisations in 14 different countries – so how different are their experiences at Christmas?

Marjorye is involved in Cafedirect Producers Limited (read more about this here ), and is based in Peru – home to our award winning Machu Picchu coffee

“Con mucho gusto te comento como celebramos la navidad y el año nuevo en Perú;

Marjorye's Family Christmas Dinner!

En Perú solemos esperar la medianoche del 24 de diciembre en familia para todos juntos celebrar la navidad. En algunas familias se cena pavo, otros lechon y otros pollo eso depende de cada familia, pero mayormente es pavo acompañado de ensalada de verduras y paneton (es como un biscocho que tiene pasas y frutas confitadas, que solo lo venden en esta epoca). Y de beber se acostumbra tomar chocolate caliente (se derrite chocolate y se mezcla con leche). Luego de la cena navideña se pasa a entregar los regalos a todos ya sea familia y amigos, es costumbre tambien de adultos y niños hacer el intercambio de regalos. El 25 es feriado aqui y en familia re reunen a seguir comiendo el pavo.”

In Peru we wait until midnight on the 24th of Dec. to celebrate all together as a family. Some families eat turkey, others eat pork or chicken, but the majority eat turkey with vegetables and ‘paneton’ (which is like a sponge cake with raisins and candied fruit that is only sold around Xmas). And to drink it’s customary to drink hot chocolate. After dinner all the presents are given out to family and friends and adults and kids also exchange gifts. The 25th is a holiday here and families get together to keep eating turkey.

“La musica que se suele escuchar son los Villancicos, que son niños cantando diferentes canciones navideñas.”

The typical music around Christmas are ‘los Villancicos’, or carols, which are kids singing different Christmas songs.

Houses are decorated with a Christmas tree with ‘rayos’, which are strips of shiny paper, colored balls and sparkling lights (sound familiar?!). The lights are also put up around the balcony, door and in other parts of the house to the liking of the family. Other decorations include garlands, and the nativity scene acting out the birth of Jesus.

Peruvian Nativity Scene

“La decoracion de la casa es: adornar el arbol navideño con rayos (papeles brillosos de diferenetes colores), bolas de colores y luces navideñas que prenden y se apagan solas (las luces se pone en el balcon, en la puerta y en diferentes partes de la casa, segun el gusto de la familia). Decorar tambien con guirnaldas, bastoncitos de colores, etc. Tambien se arma el nacimiento del niño Jesus.”

“Para celebrar el año nuevo, la cena es la misma que para navidad. En este caso ya no se entregan regalos despues de la cena cada familia sale a diferntes lugares a reunirse con amigos para bailar y tomar algun trago. En las fiestas de año nuevo las personas se ponen cotillones (sombreros amarillos y collares de plastico amarillos too). Algunas personas tienen a tener diferente forma de vestir como por ejm: si se visten de amarillo eso significa prosperidad, de rojo es amor, de verde es dinero…son cabalas que algunos suelen tener. Como tambien el de comer a medianoche del 31 de diciembre 12 granos de uva, pidiendo 1 deseo en cada una de ellas o el de salir corriendo con maletas a medianoche que significa viajar varias veces durante el año. Eso son solo cabalas.”

Marjorye and Mother last Christmas!

To celebrate New Year, the dinner is the same as for Xmas. There aren’t any gifts after dinner and each family goes to different places to gather with friends to dance and have a drink. In these parties people tend to wear ‘cotillones’ (which are yellow hats and yellow plastic collars). Some people dress differently as well, for example, wearing yellow signifies prosperity, red is for love, green is for money. It’s also a custom to eat 12 grapes at midnight on the 31 of Dec, asking for one wish with each grape, or to leave the house running with suitcases at midnight which signifies travelling very often during the coming year.

I was also able to catch up with Raymond Kimaro briefly when he was over for our December Board meeting – apparently there were more important things to talk about than Christmas and New Year celebrations!!

According to Raymond, Christmas is traditionally a family occasion as well, where they would eat salted Goat – a local delicacy!
Rayomnd, and the other 60,000 members of the KNCU in Tanzania (home to Kilimanjaro R&G coffee) live in a more rural area than Marjorye, so it is often difficult for everyone to come together, as they also have their farms to tend to.

In KNCU, as Christmas is a time for family, New Year is more of a time for friends!
Rayomnd tells me his days of partying into the small hours are behind him (although he was leading the 75th anniversary celebrations in November last year), but the ‘younger generation’ gathers from the surrounding hillsides in Moshi Town to celebrate the New Year….

So Merry Christmas to you all!
Intersting to see the snow scenes we’re used to in England have found their way to Peru and Tanzania – this is a poster I saw on a hot day near Kilimanjaro!!