How our residents will celebrate Xmas
Christmas is around the corner and we all have our own plans on how we’re going to celebrate it and what we’ll be eating, but what will some of the more prominent residents of Knysna and Plett be doing?
Feisty local magistrate Zukiswa Hans, said she would be spending the day with her family in the Eastern Cape, Aliwal North: "We usually slaughter a sheep, call relatives and feast together. My mom makes mageu and ginger beer."
Hans said this time of the year for her is a time to unify family, and thanking ancestors and God for protection. "As we remember our ancestor Jesus Christ's birth, we are then joined by all the ancestors who are in the region of the dead spirit. So the celebration transcends the physical fleshly realm. It's a beautiful spiritual connection with all the departed generations." Knysna's rap sensation
Arab said he will spending Christmas in Durban recording new music for 2019 and gearing up for his biggest performance to date at Fact Durban Rocks on 31 December, where he will be representing the Western Cape as a whole. "I've never been big on traditional Christmas food so anything goes," he said, adding that Christmas time to him is all about the people coming together, as friends, family or even as colleagues, "as long as you spend it with the people you love and respect". Knysna author Philomène Luyindula Lasoen said this year she doesn't have Christmas plans because she is in the privileged position of not needing to plan.
"It is the blessing of having a family, community or caring and supportive work environment. The latter is the case for me now that I am in Knysna, and I will be spending the day with the family of a seven-year-old I tutor." She said growing up in her French-Belgian family, their Christmas meal was the same whether they were in Congo or France. "It was rather a privileged affair of caviar, smoked salmon and lobsters. The Red in me feels some shyness about that. For years I played catch-up by walking the streets of Sea Point in Cape Town looking for homeless friends especially on Christmas Day." Lasoen said she has been a Christian for half of her life and that "this is when Christmas took on a justice and peace meaning".
Garden Route National Park manager Paddy Gordon said he would be spending Christmas Day with family in Somerset West. “Everyone contributes to the Christmas meal, but we won’t be having any massive meals,” he said, who added that he wishes everyone a joyous time with family and loved ones during this time. “My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones through the year. Let’s please stay safe in all we do,” was his message to residents of the Garden Route and visitors to the area.
Elephant expert Gareth Patterson said he hopes to be in the Knysna forest, celebrating how wonderful it is that the world's most southerly elephants exist here.
His table will look a bit different to your mainstream family lunch, being a vegetarian himself. “There will be lots of vegetarian goodies,” he said.
His wish, he said, for the residents of the Garden Route and visitors to the area is purely that everyone has a most blessed festive season in this “very special place”.
Paul Zeman, owner of Bloo Bistro, said that he would be spending Christmas Day on a picnic in the Knysna Forest, feasting on gammon "and definitely some trifle'.
"My wife Debs and I wish everyone a delicious Xmas and a prosperous new year."
Mayor Mark Willemse
will be in Knysna, he said, entertaining family at home on Christmas Day.
"We traditionally have friends and family over, and everyone brings something to contribute to the lunch table.
We don't have a particular menu. I sometimes cook myself, but I'll be leaving this one to my wife to decide,” he said.
His Christmas message is a wish for everyone to have a joyous holiday, relax and have a peaceful time, and enjoy the beauty and serenity that is Knysna.
Bruce Richardson, the chairman of the Plettenberg Bay Crime Prevention Association (PBCPA), is having a special Christmas with family, including grandchildren, visiting from New Zealand. “We will be spending the day at my daughter’s house in Plettenberg Bay where we will have a Richardson family traditional meal together,” Richardson said. This would include chicken, gammon and roast potatoes, he said. On the dessert menu is "a traditional New Zealand pavlova".
Plett Tourism media manager and StreetSmart Plettenberg Bay coordinator
Patty Butterworth who is originally from America, said their festive season meal is enjoyed on Christmas Eve. “We do baked gammon and turkey and an assortment of salads with a gourmet twist.”
Her 12-year-old daughter, she said, will be taking the lead in the kitchen when it comes to dessert. “Last year she surprised us with very fancy meringues and chocolate brownies, so we are looking forward to what she has up her sleeve this year.”