On the night of December 18, I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the packed suitcases in front of me.
I could not believe that in just a few hours, I would for the first time be leaving my wife and children behind, to join other relatives in Sweden for Christmas. As I thought about the long flight ahead and the fact that I would be away from the family for almost three weeks, I could not help but feel a little guilty.
Indeed, the little ones were sad, but they knew I would be back soon. My biggest concern, however, was the contents of the suitcases. Since I was heading for a family reunion of sorts, I had been tasked to bring traditional Ugandan dishes, snacks and liquor.
So, I had packed fresh matooke, banana leaves, sweet potatoes, cassava, mpombo (‘smoked’ banana leaves), smoked fish, groundnuts, ghee, pancakes and some Nile Special beer. Won’t the matooke ripen before Christmas? I pondered.
It did not help matters that the flight connection to Sweden, through Amsterdam, was tiring, but finally, I arrived the following morning. The next few days were about catching up with loved ones, spending time with family and, most of all, shopping.
It quickly struck me that people here spend most of the shopping on children. Another surprise is that many people were looking forward mostly to Christmas Eve as opposed to the big day! What is more, planning for the holiday centres around large family gatherings, not hanging out at events.
My brother’s wife’s family had already booked us to celebrate with them Christmas Eve. The journey from Stockholm to Sundsvall was punctuated by well-decorated roads and streets. The Christmas feeling was everywhere to be felt.
This typical Swedish family gathering on Christmas Eve began with a traditional Christmas dinner, which included dishes such as smoked salmon, meatballs and ham. After dinner, we gathered around the Christmas tree and exchanged gifts.
The evening ended with a traditional Swedish dessert of gingerbread cookies and some rice pudding. Thereafter, everyone enjoyed spending time with one another, catching up on the events of the past year before we returned to Stockholm.
Then on Christmas day, it was our turn to host a large family gathering of about 30 people, most of them children. The morning began with cooking chores and it was a real test to prepare traditional kiganda food, complete with luwombo.
There were also moments of panic and anxiety; for instance, the heads of the smoked fish had started going bad, but we could not afford to throw away the entire fish. So, the fish dish had to be headless.
By 4 pm, the stage was set for the grand luncheon. As sumptuous as the food was, some of the guests that had never tasted the kiganda traditional dishes felt queasy in the stomachs and rushed to the rest-rooms. Not very flattering to the chefs, but surprisingly, they could not have enough of the food and would continue from where they left off after each bathroom break.
I found it mesmerizing when, after lunch, the remaining food was placed on the open veranda in the cold snowy weather for preservation. Whoever wanted another bite would simply get out and take a slice and place it in the oven to warm.
Later, the family gathered around the Christmas tree to exchange gifts. This was the most anticipated moment, especially for the children, who first wowed us by singing Christmas carols and performing plays. At this point, one of the adults hid and returned donning the Father Christmas costume.
He gave out gifts of all kinds, but toys, programmable robots, games, ‘create & learn’ gift cards and books topped the list. By the next morning, everyone was contented with the previous night and life quickly moved back on as some people had to get to work.
I stayed in Sweden through New Year’s eve, where the spectacular fireworks that seem to light up every inch of the Stockholm sky will stay with me for a while. Soon it was time to get home to my family, and the long trip back to Entebbe international airport started.
nicholasbamulanzeki@gmail.com
Source: The Observer
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