A Cameroonian Christmas
Every culture has their own festive traditions, and while we do celebrate Christmas as a Cameroonian family, there are some distinct differences from what would be seen as a typical Christmas Day in the UK. So, I thought I’d take you through a typical West African Christmas Day as part of the Tansie family!
A Cameroonian Christmas
Christmas morning varies for each household, some will go to church while others might stay at home to prep and help set up for dinner, but we all come together around midday to open presents from our family-wide Secret Santa. We always make time after dinner to call our family in Cameroon, as they typically attend longer church services to celebrate.
Although my family is spread out across world, there are many of us here in the UK, which tends to make for a very busy Christmas! With so many Tansies to feed, as I’m sure you can imagine, this takes some meticulous planning. One family will host, and a prep list is shared well in advance by an eager Mum or Aunty so that each family member can be assigned a dish or drink to bring and share on the big day.
It’s all about the West African Food
Preparing Turning Yarm (also known as Yam Porridge) - a Cameroonian Classic made with yams and home-grown spinach.
There’s certainly one thing we have in common with a British Christmas: It’s all about the food! Though you won’t catch my family tucking into a roast turkey… Of course, meats will be eaten: beef, chicken and/or pork, with the more recent addition of my mock chicken for the vegans and veggies, but there’s so much more to be had than the typical roast dinner. Jollof rice, bean stew, turning yam, achu soup, puff puff and plantain for days are all in tow. We love a roasted vegetable too, though peppers, broccoli, carrots and tomatoes are our favourites (sorry not sorry, no roasties in sight), topped with lashings of hot sauce as opposed to gravy.
Once we’ve caught up with extended family, and the Baileys, cognac and rum is truly flowing, it’s party time! We love a family quiz and some board games, and there will always be lots of dancing, singing and chatting. We’re not what you’d describe as a quiet family, so things tend to get pretty loud before the inevitable crash around midnight, but that’s considered the sign of our time well spent.
No matter how you spend your Christmas, we hope it’s filled with joy, good food and great company.
All the best for 2024,
The gwafuvegan team xxx
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