Gone are the good old Christmas Night angels

One of the most beautiful memories- Phiona- a close friend of mine shall forever hold about Christmas is the night angels in the village. She has re-told this story so many times and for me, it always felt like a blockbuster movie you just cannot get enough of and would not mind watching repeatedly. For starters, night angels are human beings just like you and me. They move from home to home on Christmas Eve night, wishing people a Merry Christmas. It’s mostly popular in villages and a few Christmas movies. Therefore, every time Christmas approaches, Phiona tells me of her experience as a night angel. She says that being a night angel along with her siblings, relatives and a few neighbours is one thing she always looked forward to during the Christmas season. “My siblings, relatives, friends and I would walk through the neighbourhood on Christmas eve, late in the night with lamps. We would go singing Christmas carols, knocking door-to-door and wishing families a merry Christmas. For every home we would visit, at least one person from that family would join us as we went through the village to wish families a Merry Christmas,” Phiona narrated. She adds that Christmas angels were one of the most beautiful things about spending Christmas in the village. These moments always united the community and awakened the Christmas mood. Phiona recalls how her parents, grannies, uncles and aunties would always remind them by mid December to prepare for the night angel activity. “Our parents and relatives also looked forward to night angels. They always reminded us to prepare for the night angel which was more of a tradition that got both the young and old excited. That is the only night in the year that our parents would permit us to walk late in the night,” she recalls. She adds that through night angels, they would even get to know some of the people they didn’t know in the community and make friends with them. They would also send gifts to each other for example a family would slaughter a bull and send some meat to the neighbours or a bunch of bananas (matooke). Well, lately people are so engrossed with their own lives and families. Night angels are no more yet it used to bring the community together. Whether we reside in villages or towns, we can revive the spirit of night ‘angelism’ (excuse my vocabulary).Let’s show love and care to one another this Christmas. maria.kaitesi@newtimes.co.rw