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A Caribbean Christmas
While the first image that comes to mind when you say Christmas looks a lot like the inside of a snow globe or maybe the neighborhood around Santa’s workshop, this isn’t the only way to enjoy the holiday season.
For those who dread the biting winds and slushy streets of a white Christmas, stealing away to the merry islands of the Caribbean may be just the thing to put in your letters to Santa.
Dreaming of a Green Christmas?
In the tropical islands of the Caribbean, the temperature typically stays above 75°F from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. This means that it is warm and welcoming at Christmastime.
The Christmas season in the Caribbean is especially lovely because the rainy season (March thru May) is long past. At Christmastime in the Caribbean, the temperatures are much more temperate and tolerable than the scorching hot days of high summer.
Caribbean Christmas Traditions
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As in other locales, the people of the Caribbean enjoy time with family, uplifting worship, merry seasonal festivities and gift-giving during the Christmas season. Families typically live nearby, so they often enjoy time together. Christmas in the Caribbean is a time to really spruce things up and put out the holiday finery.
What we would call “Spring Cleaning” is typically done in the two or three weeks before Christmas Day. All the furniture is moved and may even be rearranged. Fancy new curtains are put up for the season and the best bed linens laid out. Special tablecloths, cutlery and dinnerware are set out for the many visitors who will make their seasonal rounds. Family and neighbors are eagerly anticipated and treated to the best holiday hospitality.
The Food of Christmas
During those visits, guests are entertained and treated to special food and drinks which are made only at Christmastime.
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The main menu of a traditional Caribbean Christmas dinner includes baked poultry, roast beef, ham, boiled or steamed root vegetables, rice with peas, seasoned rice or rice pilaf.
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They enjoy drinks with uniquely Caribbean ingredients such as sorrel and mauby, as well as the fruity but potent rum punch.
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A special type of cake, called Black cake or fruitcake, is also made at Christmas. It is made with raisins and other dried fruit that are minced and marinated in wine for several weeks. This cake is the traditional dessert for Christmas dinner.
Uniquely Caribbean Traditions
Two Christmas traditions that are unique to the Caribbean are the practice of Junkanoo and having a Grand Market.
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Junkanoo (or Jonkonoo) is a celebratory street performance similar to the Mummers in Philadelphia and the Kakamotobi in Ghana. It could be that the practice honors John Canoe, who was a warrior from Ghana who held off foreign encroachment for 20 years.
Junkanoo is a parade of masked revelers and, in some cases, stilt walkers, dancing joyfully to cowbells, whistles, tambourines and drums like the Goombay. Junkanoo performers engage in lively antics to amuse onlookers and to give candies and treats to children, especially younger children who may be scared of the costumes.
Grand Market is a big outdoor market that starts the week before Christmas and lasts right up to Christmas Eve. Before shopping malls and 24×7 retailers, the Grand Market offered late night shopping and opportunities for last-minute buyers.
Just like the typical open-air markets where people get their produce in small island town centers, the Grand Market provides a fun, holiday celebration and a place for local artisans to sell their artwork and other gift items.
The Music and Pageantry of Christmas
Caroling is a fading tradition in the Caribbean. Small groups from churches or schools will walk through neighborhoods singing Christmas carols. In rural areas, they would drive from house to house to sing carols where they are more spread about the countryside.
Since Christmas falls during the high winter tourist season in the Caribbean, Christmas is also an opportunity for many school children to perform for tourists.
Many hotels provide an opportunity for schools and churches who have singing and dramatic groups to perform holiday plays and sing carols and Christmas songs. Such groups are also invited to provide local entertainment at guesthouses and community centers at Christmastime.
Last Thoughts From The Locals
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There’s no better way to learn about Christmas in the Caribbean than hearing it directly from the locals in their own words.
There may be no snow or even mistletoe, but plenty of people come home for Christmas to the islands of the Caribbean. Even if it’s not home, it’s homey, warm, beautiful and full of yuletide joy. If you get the chance, you should give it a try!