A Joyous Christmas Celebration With Tanzania’s Maasai Tribe 2024/2025 : At the end of every year, people usually look forward to a good festival ahead of them. These celebrations are none other than the Christmas and New Year celebrations. Christmas festival is usually celebrated by Christians, meanwhile New Year is another chance for one to fulfill the dreams and goals that they could not achieve in the year which is approaching an end. People are always dying to see the New Year and make themselves something unique to end the year with or start the year with. The vibe of reaching this common festival season always comes with a question mark: Where will I spend my Christmas and New Year holidays? Where will you say goodbye 2024 and where will you witness the countdown to 2025? If you have difficulties in planning your destination for your esteemed Christmas holiday, you are in the right place. Choose Tanzania as your favorite one for your Christmas holiday and you will thank me later. This is because Tanzania has got a whole lot of safari destinations where you can get to enjoy yourself. It does not just end on safari destinations, Tanzania will also reward you with numerous remarkable and adventurous activities you can do to make your festival celebration one of its kind.
Spending your Christmas holiday in Tanzania is very tempting when you think about what to do since you have hundreds of options, some of which include wildlife safaris, bird-watching tours, hiking safaris, and cultural tours. All of these things may be familiar to you, but have ever thought of having a Christmas Celebration with the Maasai? You probably know nothing about this tribe; well, I will explain.
Known for their authentic customs and dress, the Maasai are the Nilotic ethnic group who has been living together with wild animals in Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park for over three centuries before being relocated to Tanga. They are pastoralists and funny enough they do not love wild meat; if you want meat, they will just slaughter one of their livestock. Their most favorite livestock to use as food is a goat, followed by a cow then the sheep. This society does speak the Maasai language, which originates from Nilo-Saharan and is related to Dinka and Nuer. A Christmas ceremony with the Maasai will be more rewarding as you will enjoy doing the following:
A Joyous Christmas Celebration With Tanzania’s Maasai Tribe 2024/2025 : Witnessing cultural dances: Get yourself some red stripped bed sheets and design a Maasai “Rubega”, and then witness the wonderful traditional performances from these charming people. The famous dance style is the jumping style which has been adored by most artists and dancers in the world. This jumping style is connected to man’s strength; the higher you jump the stronger you are. It is up to you to show them what you got. The dances are always done during special ceremonies, such as the initiation ceremony. Initiation ceremonies are a special cultural event done after a certain group of juniors male kids of the society are circumcised. It aims at welcoming this junior group (which before the official ceremony is traditionally called the “Laayoni”) to a comparatively senior age traditionally called the Moran. The Morans are usually the warriors of the society, taking the lead on activities like hunting, resolving conflicts, and the general protection of the society. The Maasai society usually does the dances on special requests from visitors.
Adore the Maasai dress: Want a photo in a Maasai outfit? You have all the guts to do this. They have a unique dressing style that distinguishes them from other ethnic groups. If you are a fan of watching music awarding ceremonies such as the BET Music Awards, you may have seen the Tanzanian popular musician Diamond Platinumz dressed in Maasai Rubega which was his favorite outfit during the 2022 BET Music Awards.
Have you thought about why most Maasai Rubegas are red? It is because they believe the red color can scare away lions which are their most dangerous enemies. Women had their Rubegas decorated with beads and other ornaments.
Visit the Maasai villages: This is one of the thrilling activities during your Christmas holiday in Tanzania 2024 or 2025. Most villages can be visited on walking tours while others can be reached by driving. The Maasai villages, or ‘Manyata’ in the Maasai language, consist of huts made in Maasai architecture of trees, ropes, and grasses fastened by cow dung.
Tour operators usually have a special guide who knows how to speak with these local people and he/she will introduce you to them. Their huts (called inkajijik in the Maasai language), are surrounded by a locally made fence (locally known as “enkang”) for protecting their cattle from wild animals and thieves. The labor division in these villages always considers age and sex. Women have to take care of children, huts and food preparation (they even build huts). On the other hand, mature men (the Morans) have to search for pasture and water and move the cattle to an area with plenty of water and food. You will learn all these from local Maasai people on your Christmas holiday in Tanzania.
Visit the Maasai Market: The Maasai are very creative and talented. They are good artisans and craftsmen. One of the iconic products is the Maasai sandals which are made from rubber tires. All these are always sold in Maasai markets. Let’s make it clear that, some markets are special for tourists (touristic Maasai markets) others are real markets where the Maasai trade between themselves, with the main trading commodities being cattle, crops, and so forth. The former are very attractive and have all the gifts you need while the latter are rarely visited for touristic purposes. You can go there and buy your collection.
Generally speaking, the Maasai are incredible societies in East Africa worth a visit. Their uniqueness in language, customs and dressing will make your Christmas more interesting. You can book a trip with East Africa Safari Guides and by doing so, you are both helping them with your village fee or by buying their hand-made products and you are having an unforgettable Christmas celebration.
