After the dud Christmas I was expecting a big New Years - after all, I had been told several times that it, and not Christmas, was the big celebration here.
The 31st began just like any other Sunday - we piled in our minibus and headed off to church. The amazing thing at church this Sunday was that there was a FEMALE PREACHER!!! I was shocked and amazed - that is not something you would expect from churches here. It's not as if she was a great beacon of progressive thought (she once referred to women as "weaker vessels" that men must have mercy on) but it's a start I guess. After the service a church party started. In addition to large amounts of food there was also singing and people had to go up and introduce themselves - say there first and last names and give a quick personal history.
There had been plans to go to a church overnight in the evening. This would have involved praying, singing, and sermons right through the night. For reasons unexplained to me, we never went. On one hand, it would have been a good cultural experience. On the other, listening to sermons at three in the morning (likely not even in English) struck me as a recipe for agony. Instead, we stayed at home with the family which was just as well. In the evening we had loud dance music going and the whole family was dancing away - particularly the young ones, who all had far more skill than I could dream of mustering. One even commented on my dancing, "that's not dancing, that's stepping." Oh well, I've never claimed to be a great dancer.
As midnight approached the dancing lessened and we settled in to watch some of the New Years party on ZNBC. They were playing a variety of music videos and interviewing guests at their studios. Out of nowhere, at about 11:50, they played the music video for "Wide Open Spaces" by the Dixie Chicks. After a long time of my host family singing along to local Zampop songs, there was finally a song for which I knew the words! This may seem entirely insignificant but it felt special at the time. After all, the Texan pop-country trio is one of the few musical acts that crosses the divide of the musical tastes in my family back home.
At the stroke of midnight we went outside for fireworks. We had a few of our own but the most spectacular displays were coming from Chilenje, a compound just to the south of us. It was actually quite impressive - people certainly put a lot of money into their displays. Then it was back inside for more dancing and TV.
The 1st was very much like Christmas in a lot of ways. Most of the day was spent preparing the big meal. I was asked to reprise my Christmas meal so once again I prepared a couple of chickens, stuffing, and seasoned potatoes. We had a few of my host father's relatives over to enjoy dinner (it's hard to call it lunch, considering it happened at 5:45 - nor can it be called supper as this happened at about 10:30). Among them was a polygamist with his two wives. I don't think I'd ever eaten at the same table as a polygamist before.
One comment that I heard many times is people giving thanks to God for surviving another year. This struck me as strange at first, but it does make a lot of sense. Back in Canada we sort of take survival for granted. As a young person, especially, I don't know a whole lot of people who died over the past 12 months. Here, with the scourge of AIDS, TB, malaria, etc. it is certainly not a given that you will make it to see the next year and you do know lots of people who did not make it. Thus, it becomes a cause for celebration and thanksgiving that you have made it to see 2007.
Happy New Year everyone or, as they say here, "Compliments of the Season!"
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