It was a first to spend the holiday season in a warm climate and be away from my family. Not having to wear a winter coat while opening Christmas presents on 1 Thomas Drive was a plus, not seeing my family and friends was a big minus. Christmas here in the Nuba Mountains was about as action packed as I've seen it get in these parts. People started walking to Christmas mass at the wee hours of the morning. I woke up at 6am not because I was anxious to open presents underneath a nearby baobob tree, but because of the sounds of chanting and drumming. There were hundreds of people from various tribes walking to mass. I would like to compare this to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York with the Snoopy balloon omitted. The mass commenced with the bishop at 10AM and the sounds of praise continued well past that two hour celebration.
The highlight of the day was the tribal dance competitions. Representatives from various tribes put together a routine which they performed in front of the Bishop and about a thousand bystanders. Because we were considered part of the Bishop's entourage, we got front row seats to the event.
Not everyone was as lucky and they had to get creative in order to sneak a peek at the action.
The performances were extremely entertaining and we were also graced with the presence of many local village characters who liked to blow the instruments right in your face.
After watching the dancing and singing for many hours we retreated back to our compound, only a 5 minute walk away. We then enjoyed some goat and karadae wine that we had prepared the week prior. Some enjoyed a larger quantity than others...
