For Christmas service, Deanna and I decided to indulge ourselves in a cultural experience and head to church in the small village where we were staying. It started a little after 10, and only a few of the 40 or so rows were filled. However, by the time I left an hour later, every row was packed, with people sitting on top of each other’s laps, and more continuing to stream in.
Everything was in Swahili, so I wasn’t able to make out much besides ‘Jesu Christu’ and ‘Christmas’. I’m not even sure of the denomination, but I did pick up a few cool things.
Hats: Since hats are usually not allowed in services, all men who were wearing them set them in a row outside of the church before entering.
Sex Divide: Women and most of the children sat on one side, men on another. Once the rows started overflowing, however, there were some women who went to sit across the aisle where there was still room.
Time: Services ended up being around 3 hours, or so (we think). I left after an hour, Deanna left after two. Also, people showed up whenever they wanted. Deanna saw people still walking toward church when she left.
Style: Like in the States, people were dressed up for services. The men’s styles were similar to those you would find at home, but the women’s varied quite a bit. A number of younger women wore early 90s style prom dresses, or outfits you could find at a cheap women’s clothing store,
Singing: The whole congregation seemed to have wonderful voices. Deanna recorded a clip of it – I’ll see if I can post it later. There was a choir lead by an old-style Yamaha keyboard.
Decorations: There were a number of balloons in celebration of the holiday, and colorful plants. Like in many churches in the U.S., a large cross hung in front of the altar.
