Perfect for the holiday season, please enjoy this guest log post from the talented martial artist Sammy Husbands, who hails from Barbados and shares the joy of what Christmas is like there.
Christmas in Barbados
By Sammy Husbands
Christmas was something to look forward to growing up in Barbados. It was a time when family, friends, and the community would come together to share in the joy and spread the Christmas spirit. Our celebration starts the day after Independence Day, November 30th.
Radio stations would wait until Independence Day concluded, then start up the Christmas music. We’d hear so many songs, from Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers to songs from locals—like “Drink a Rum” by the late Lord Kitchener, “She Mistake Me Fuh Santa Claus” by Madd Entertainment, and “Mazie” by Red Plastic Bag. All of these songs are still big hits even up to this day in Barbados.
The city of Bridgetown would magically transform from our Independence colors of Blue, Yellow, and Black to flickering Christmas lights draping from balconies, windowsills, door frames, and running along eaves and up walls. Mailboxes were wrapped with Christmas colors, and around every street corner stood a Salvation Army Santa.
The town instantly comes alive as people hustle and bustle on the streets. We can hear the fruit vendors miles away bobbing and weaving through the crowd, chanting their sales pitch of “Oranges Five Fuh (for) Two Dollars!” to attract buyers. Sites offered purchases and bargains to people to beautify their homes, from curtains and lumber to Christmas trees, decorations, and more. Every store had its own Christmas theme, something every kid looked forward to while in town with their parents.
Cave Shepherd’s Christmas Wonderland was the big thing. Children enjoyed their sampled toys at the toy department. Frequently, Santa’s helpers would invite children to sit on Santa’s lap and make a wish. Christmas was a rush that brought people from near and far to do their big yearly shop.
There is no doubt everyone’s house will transform. Outside, families will wash the house with garden hoses and heavy-duty yard brooms, making ready for a new coat of paint. Old siding boards are swapped out for new ones, lawns are trimmed, and garages are washed down. Then, up go the Christmas decorations all around the house, which are a beautiful sight to see when night comes around.
When it comes to the inside of the house, those who aren’t cleaning their floors will be changing tiles and plumbing fixtures. People with wrought iron furniture scrape the paint off and give it a new coat, while others varnish their mahogany. One thing that’s certain: everyone's cushion covers will be changed. Everyone has a similar format for sprucing up their homes; however, the people in the country spread white marlstone around their homes to represent snow, and in all the districts, seniors who live alone would receive aid from the community.
Christmas Eve:
Crunch time comes around on Christmas Eve, from last-minute shopping to making sure the house is done. Then, the action goes to the kitchen with roles established, and everyone engaged, from shelling pigeon peas, grating coconuts, cassava, and sweet potatoes to grinding currants, raisins, dates, and prunes. All these are made into separate batters to make bread and cakes. The famous great cake (rum cake), pudding (plain cake), upside down pineapple cake, sweet bread (coconut bread), and cassava pone. When done, the food is put away, and the bread and cakes are wrapped, with some marked for family and friends and the rest remaining.
The night is brought to life by people who drum, sing Carlos, and recite poems. They parade through many villages. People will be outside to partake in the fun, and every house they stop by will give them a slice of cake and a shot of rum to ring in the Christmas spirit.
Christmas Day:
On Christmas Day, people will attend Midnight Mass or the six o’clock morning service. Then it’s off to Christmas Morning in the Park, a tradition that goes as far back as 1907. It is a kaleidoscope of colors, all shapes and styles everywhere where we turn. Men in suits, gaiters, top hats, and canes step as dapper as ever. Women dress elegantly, some in their Sunday best while others in attire not of the current era. This is a big fashion extravaganza with an eye-filling cash prize, and the closer you are to Victorian attire, the more chances you have at winning.
The Barbados Police Band is seated at the esplanade, followed by the traditional groups such as the Tuk Band and Muddah Sally, the Landship, Stick-lickers, and Stilt Walkers. The Tuk band carries the rhythm and melody for the other groups as they perform and interact with the crowd.
At lunch, tables are well laid out. The center plate cradles a gigantic golden-brown turkey stuffed to the brim and a large pin-cushioned leg ham with cloves and pineapple rings, pierced with toothpicks to secure the maraschino red cherries and glazed with beer and honey. The meal includes rice, macaroni pie, stew, chicken beef or lamb, sweet potato pie, potato, macaroni, tossed salad, jug jug (mixture of peas, guinea corn, and pieces of pork), and break-back flying fish.
Dessert is a slice of cake and bread that has been washed with sorrel, sodas, malts, or Plus (made by a local brewery), and alcoholic beverages. After lunch, children open their gifts and enjoy the rest of the day playing with their toys. Adults tell stories and reminisce about past experiences that have everyone laughing while others play dominoes, cards, and draughts. When satisfied, everyone will then visit another relative or friend.
Christmas in Barbados is an experience like no other in a hundred and sixty-six square miles of multiple communities that come together as one. Everyone is nice and friendly. No one is turned back; people are always welcome to share a meal. Churches hold programs, and people in the communities come together to help the needy. People even leave a bottle of rum beside their garbage for the Sanitation workers.
Bajans (Barbadians) are kind and friendly people throughout the year, but they make sure that everyone is happy around these festive times through their good gestures.
THE END
My favorite part of Christmas in Barbados was great (rum) cake and playing dominoes.
The most intriguing part for me was description of being in the park for a festival type celebration for Christmas. It rarely warm enough where I live for that to occur