Thursday, July 29, 2010

Visit Kenya, the Land of Rich Culture and Tradition

Kenya lying in the eastern part of Africa boasts of a rich culture and tradition. During your visit to this country, you will discover their rich cultural tradition. Kenya is a land of diversity and its culture has faced constant changes.

Right from the days of the cavemen to the present generation, the lives of the Kenyans have gone through great changes. Kenya records an extremely complex history which is manifested through the diversity of the land in the present times.

Kenya is a melting pot of different types of cultures and standard of living. On one hand you will find that people are technology savvy and on the other hand you will find the natives following the traditional way of living life.

In other words, the modern and the traditional coexist in Kenya. People belonging to over 40 different ethnic groups live in Kenya in the present times. The main group of tribes includes Bantu, Nilotic, Hamitic, Kikuyu, Luyha, Luo, Kalenjin, Meru, Kamba, Masai, Swahili, Tirkana and Kisii. All of them have their own culture and tradition which are extremely rich and colorful.

The Kikuyu tribe has embraced the modern ways of living life, while the Masai tribe still holds on to their belief that God had given them the responsibility to take care of cattle. Their main source of sustenance is the cattle and they worship it.

The Samburu and the Turkana tribes are also nomads though many of them have adopted the modern means of living.

According to the custom of the Riuki tribal group, the guests are welcomed with a traditional drink known as Muratina. Tribal laws are primary and everybody must abide by them. The tribes worship Ngai who is believed to be the creator of the tribes.

The tribes believe that sacrificing a goat under a fig tree near the sacred mountain can bring rains. Their group dance with traditional music and colorful costumes will make you marvel.

They also have a tradition of singing songs while going to work on the fields. The traditional meal consists of Githeri, which is basically bean stew and maize (corn), mukino which is a preparation of mashed sweet potatoes and green peas along with roasted goat.

It is rustic and a nourishing meal. The was a traditional dish of the Kikuyu tribe and incorporating a meat protein was not always necessary as meat was scarce in tribal life so it was mostly eaten vegetarian, but the beans provided most of the protein in this dish. Give it a try along with some Chapati bread and rice and you will love it.

By : B_H_Yao

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