From the moment December starts, so does the festive holiday season, worldwide. For many countries this means putting up Christmas decorations, Mariah Carey playing on every radio station and most importantly, time with friends and family. In South Africa, however, it's all of these things…and more!
WHEN DECEMBER STARTS, WE STOP
This means that usually for us South Africans, when December starts, most people choose to get off from work, take a holiday for the Christmas period with their family. Or, and there’s many that do this, just work and play at the same time! Most people are in holiday mode from the moment December starts and they’re in good spirits. This goes for locals and tourists!
WE LOVE A GOOD PARTY
If there's one thing that anyone from anywhere in the world should know about South Africans, is that we love to kuier! Directly translated from the Afrikaans language, kuier means visit. These visits usually consist of having a braai going, music playing and drinking. You’re bound to always have a good time at one of these. Besides for a good braai and beers, there are also many places to go to have what we would say, a good jol! Whether you’re into clubbing or bar hopping, there’s a little bit of everything for everyone.
PEOPLE ARE EVEN FRIENDLIER THAN USUAL
Now this could either be because of the festive season or from all the cocktails, either way, we’re a friendly bunch! South Africans are generally friendly people, however we’re still always cautious of our surroundings. But come December, we seem to be a lot more hospitable than usual! We’re always welcoming and open to meeting new people from all parts of the world. But we’re even more excited to meet new people in December because we’re able to show them how to enjoy their festive season, like a South African!
FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE EVERYTHING
We all know that a party sucks without your partner in crime. South Africans have a way of making everyone feel like they’re a part of one big family. Besides that, our own families mean the world to us therefore spending time with them is high on our list of things to do during our holiday. Come Christmas day, family and friends are seated together, enjoying a lovely meal. What you might be asking? Well, because we have 11 official languages, we have many different cultures who eat different traditional meals on that day. Some may have a lot of meat, some no meat and just fish and some might have a sheep on a spit braai. Whichever way you’re eating that day, make sure you leave space for desserts! Malva pudding, melktert, Peppermint Crisp Tart are just to name a few of the wonderful desserts you’ll be consuming at a South African dinner table on Christmas day. To add, these lovely cooked meals are usually home cooked, and cooked together as family or friends.
Festive season in South Africa is definitely a lifestyle, and it’s one that you can be a part of with our incredible virtual experiences. Book a free concierge session with us, or you can have a customized tour set up for you by one of our Concierge Gurus and enjoy our Festive Season with us, from wherever you might be!