Christmas in Togo

I didn't think that X-mas was widely celebrated in Togo - animism being the official religion - but signs of the X-mas spirit have been increasing steadily until the explosive crescendo this morning.

About two weeks ago, prosperous businesses began decorating their stores with gaudy lights and inflatable santas. Shortly afterwards, music stores began blasting X-mas music from the huge speakers set up in their entrances. Normally, these stores blast awful pop music, awful gospel, awful elevator music or coupe de caille (which, by definition, is always awful).

The volume of music coming from these stores is always at maximum-plus to the point that the noise no longer sounds like music, but more like rhythmic, crackling distortion. Imagine the pain of "Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer", now turn the volume up to 11, now imagine the lyrics in French (or better yet, imagine them in English, but sung with such a strong accent that it's hardly recognizable as English).
Another Togolese X-mas tradition that we have discovered is fireworks. Here and there for the last two weeks we have heard the occasional "pop!" of a firecracker. This last Saturday and Sunday were like the 4th of July in the States... because really, nothing says X-mas quite like explosives.

The height of X-mas psychosis occurred early this morning at approximately 7am, when our neighbors decided that it would be a great idea to blast X-mas music from a small boom-box that was clearly not up to the task. The children were singing along, at the top of their lungs, to a horribly kitch version of "Jingle Bells". English not being the language of choice in these parts, the poor munchkins obviously had no idea what they were screeching as they jumped up and down in fits of glee. Had I been anywhere else in the world, I would have assumed that a mental asylum had moved in next door during the night because it was nothing short of insanity in the neighbor's courtyard where children were up in a tree, others running in circles and others just jumping up and down all screaming what sounded like
"Jeego Boes! Jeengo Boes! Jeego a dway!"
as loud as their little lungs could manage.

New photos have been posted to flickr!Check them out!http://www.flickr.com/photos/muddygaloshes/