Christmas in Haiti

Monday was the party at Agape for the school kids and the kids in the Sunday school class. We arrived early to decorate and when the kids were arriving we danced to music. Once everyone was there some of the kids went up front to perform a song or recite a poem. They have Christmas songs but I didn’t recognize any of them as being translated from English. Santa is Pere Noel (Father Christmas) here. After singing we had snacks and then presents. The child had each drawn a name at the beginning of December. Carline picked up each gift and the child who bought it went up front and said who it was for. That child came up and said thank you with a kiss on the cheek. This is a normal gesture. When we greet each other we shake hands and touch cheeks.

Tuesday we went to Mirebalis for the Christmas party at Loving Hearts. The kids were all dressed in their nicest clothes and excited to see us. After decorating we all sang songs and danced. Martin passed out the presents we brought and everyone played with their new toys until it was time to eat. We had a special dinner and got pop. We had to leave after that to get back for the youth party.

Since the first week I was here I have been hearing about this party on Christmas Eve that the youth throw. Lienka and I dressed in our nicest dresses (think Homecoming dance). We left the house around 9:30, which is usually when I am falling asleep, but I was excited. We arrived at church and were escorted to our seats. A group was already up front singing. The president welcomed everyone. Then a group performed a skit. It was the story of Ester so I knew what was going on. A group of girls did a dance. A couple of guys rapped and sang. The finale was a fashion show. The clothes were designed by some of the guys in the youth group. As the models/my friends walked down the runway the song “I’m a Barbie girl” played. These models didn’t just walk out turn around and walk back. They stopped several times to pose for pictures. Everyone was cheering. I’m so glad I got to be a part of it. The clothes were really well designed. I would wear some of them.

We had a meal of rice, chicken, and pasta. They set up a projector and we watched a movie. It was a Haitian made movie but I mostly understood what was going on. During the movie we had popcorn and later on cake. We got back home around 4:30am.

I had scheduled to Skype with my parents and sister at 7am Christmas morning so I decided to stay awake a little longer and sleep later. It was great to talk with them and see them opening presents. We had a good signal and the electricity stayed on so we could talk for a long time! After we said Good-bye I took a nap until 11am when I Skyped with more of my family!

Here on Christmas day it is a day of rest and that’s what we did. There was a Christmas program on TV and they were singing Christmas songs in English so I sang along. We had some visitors so I met more of the family. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!