Jule Måneden

I have always wished that I could write like whispers my writing hero. Whispers was a humour writer on the Sunday Nation a few years a go in Kenya who left to be with his maker. But beyond that I don’t make to do it every week. But..eeh… I finished my paper and reports and also did a Norwegian language test, that sounds like reason enough… may be not very convincing. The winter has also caught up with me may be. It is dark when I wake up and a few hours after lunch so it becomes again. The temparature is just above zero when it is not below. And on a typical day just dress as you can see. Suits are only used in parties.


All the same, many things have been happening in this ‘Jule Måneden’. Jule is Christmas and the later just means ‘the month’. If I had ever seen Jule celebrated it is this year and by the way when you read ‘Jule’ read it as ‘Yule’. Actually it takes a lot of planning. I have a friend who told me that she started planning for Christmas in June. The way to do is to do lots of shopping, planning where to be during Christmas, parties before Christmas, Christian concerts and Carol services. If you walked in any store in Norway you will find ‘Jule…’ everything. I mean Julebrus (Christmas juice/drinks), julekake (Christmas cake) and many more. You may wonder why am making a big deal out of this. But back home we think about Christmas not much before it appears, and no much of ‘Christmas everything’. And we also celebrate Christmas on 25th unlike on 24th (Christmas Eve), with eating a goat or several chicken.

The Christmas cake house and the calender. This was made with our team leader in his house and will be eaten after Christmas.
There is an extensive ‘Jule Calendar’ having various activities from 1st the 24th of the month. All this is called the Advent period. I am sure my mother is more familiar with this than I am. I actually just remembered her favourite sermon during Christmas time, and it is amazing every time I listen to it. Now that am going to miss it this year let me tell you just a bit of it. It goes like; ‘Tukiririkana guchiarwo gwa gakenge Yesu, reke gachiarwo ngoro ini’ (as we remember the birth of the baby Jesus, let Christ be born in our hearts). It has many other words and it is usually in my mother tongue as you have learnt already. Back to the calendar days’; there is a day to go out singing to your neighbours and this is 13th, to light the ‘jule tre’ (Christmas tree), making a Christmas cake house (‘jule hus’) and many other things for everyday.


On 7th of 'Jule Måneden’ the Student group in University of Stavanger organised a prayer evening. It was a time to thank God together as the student group for the year, for those sitting for exams, for the festive season, and also for the student ministry in the coming year. I loved participating in the planning and being part of the evening. As part of celebrating Christmas the group organised what is called ‘Julebørd’. I have already told you that everything this month has a ‘jule’ aspect in it. This is would literary mean ‘Christmas table’ and surely it was, because it was a Christmas party. Coupled with indigenous Norwegian foods which at first tasted exotic to me was a lot of singing Christmas songs. Well, I had just joined the praise and worship team in church just a month before leaving home, though my close friends thought it was the wrong ministry for me because of the long time it takes to put my voice to harmony with others, I am surely having good practise with lots of singing this Christmas. Watch this space!!!

Above students singing in the prayer meeting and below, Vidar (left) and Sigurd (right) in the Julebørd.

Over this ‘Jule’ my team mate and I will be spending and celebrating it with the family of one of our friends in an Island called Fogn. This is about 30 to 40 minutes ride in a motor boat. I have always been water-phobic; well to set things right I mean water-transport-phobic. But this weekend I tried it out and it wasn’t that scarily after all. Not only did I do the 40min to Fogn but first was a 2 hours ride to Sauda on Friday to visit a student group. As always spending time with students is always very energizing and activity filled especially on such an occasion where they were teenagers. The morning came sooner than I had expected. Sauda had much more snow than I had seen in Stavanger and so I did promise myself to go back and try skiing early next year. I also visit Tørd’s family (Tørd is a fellow student at Hald and in Kenya for internship) who were getting ready to go to Kenya next week and visit Tørd. That is when on our way back we visited the Volds at Fogn our host for Christmas. I am looking forward to spend time with them and have a taste of the Norwegian Christmas. You have something to look forward to when I return! 'God Jul og Godt Nytt År!!!' (Merry Christmas and happy new year). Keep smiling!

Martha (Tørd's sister) playing a Christmas song during our visit in Sauda.