Christmas in Madagascar

In our continuation of exploring Christmas Around the World, the first country up this year is Madagascar! And if we’re being honest, it’s mainly because the kids are at a perfect age to enjoy “Merry Madagascar.” But we also learned a lot about the country and its Christmas traditions along the way as well. And it truly is a very Christmassy country. We discovered that poinsettias, which grow as large outdoor shrubs, are a national emblem of Madagascar. And their red and white and green flag is also particularly Christmassy!

In Madagascar, lychees are a special Christmas food, often bought from shops, street sellers, or even picked fresh from the trees. So, we started the festivities with a refreshing lychee smoothie. Throughout the day, we listened to Boney M’s “Christmas with Boney M,” especially “Mary’s Boy Child,” which is commonly heard during the Christmas season in Madagascar.

Come dinnertime, we followed the tradition of staying home and enjoying a meal of chicken with rice, just like many families in Madagascar. For dessert,  we made some of the famous Malagasy rice cakes, which are traditionally exchanged at the strike of midnight. We paired them with spiced vanilla coffee made with coffee, Madagascar vanilla, and sugarcane, some of Madagascar’s most famous exports.

And while not necessarily Christmassy, a big part of Madagascar’s history is tied to pirates. Due to the lack of European influence, it was often considered a safe haven for pirates and was even referred to on maps as the “island of pirates.” This felt too good to resist, so we created a ton of pirate-related elements throughout the day including a pirate treasure hunt for the kids to find their advent calendar, some Pirates Booty Caramel Corn Puffs, pirate costumes including a candy cane hook, and finally a  Yo Ho Ho Ho pirate flag.

 Merry Christmas from Madagascar! Arahaba tratry ny Noely!

ACTIVITIES:

• Poinsettias

• Pirate Scavenger Hunt

• “Merry Madagascar” Movie 

• Album: Christmas with Boney M (‘Mary’s Boy Child’)

• Christmas Around the World Scratch-Off Map

FOOD & DRINK MENU:

• Lychees Smoothie

• Chicken with Coconut and Rice (Akoho Sy Voanio)

• Lychee Mint Cocktail

• Midnight Rice Cake (Mofogasy Sweet Rice Cake w/ Madagascar Vanilla)

• Pirate’s Booty Caramel Corn Puffs

• Spiced Vanilla Coffee (Coffee, Madagascar Vanilla, Sugarcane)

INTERESTING READS & CONTEXT:

• "Why Christmas?": Christmas in Madagascar

• Christmas Around the World  :  Madagascar