Jewish Contributions to Christmas - Christian and Missionary Alliance

Fred Polding
African-style cdche in o Bouoke cathedral
CHRISTMAS IN
THE IVORY
COAST?
t xcept for a few big towns where civiliza-
tion has commercialized Christmas, it is very
different over here in the lvory Coast.
There will be no snow, no Santa Claus, no
reindeer, no red-nosed Rudolph. No Christmas
trees, no candles, no tinsel and strings of lights.
No saturation program of Christmas music, no
shopping sprees, no greeting cords or exchange
of gifts. No family soforis to grandmother's
house, no turkey dinners, not one stocking
hanging in place.
The atmosphere will be hazy with clouds of
matter that the breezes loft upward from the
parched earth to suspend in the quivering,
shimmering heat. Everything will be dry, dusty
and dirty brown.
The great fields of toll elephant grass will
dry out and be burned off to add eye-smarting
smoke to the dust. Multitudes will apply a deep
blue medicine to their dehydrated lips to soothe
the nasty cracks that develop and torment.
At night the temperature will plummet all the
way to 65 degrees or the harmatton-the cold
winds off the Sahara-travel across the land.
Unaccustomed to the change in temperature,
lvorians will complain of the cold through dry,
raspy sore throats. Definitely, the Christmas
season is the least festive period of the year.
And yet Christians anticipate and enioy the
Christmos season. In the many churches scat-
tered throughout the grasslands or the jungle
Africans will celebrate the birth of Jesus in
countless African ways.
There will be plays and skits, all completely
original but based on the New Testament ac-
count as they envision it. There will be angels,
kings, wise men, shepherds, camels, sheep,
Joseph and Mary-all in on African context.
New songs will be born and there will be
much joyful singing. There will be African-
style caroling, meaning the whole church
marching through town with banners flying-
not at night but during Christmos day. Almost
everywhere the service and program will con-
tinue through the night and into the next day.
Christmas is coming to lvory Coast!
In forty-one nations and territories proclaiming Emmanuel-God with us
THE CHRISTIAN AND MISSIONARY ALLIANCE
260 West 44th St., New York, N.Y. 10036 125 Panin Rd., Burlington, Ont.