Christmas Traditions in Jamaica

This article is attributed to me, but to be honest, it's the brain Child of staff member Star India who said we should talk about Christmas traditions around the region. She started by interviewing someone with a few questions. I took them and also went to my Jamaican friend Shena-Marie Bacchas.

She answered four simple questions about Christmas in Jamaica, so she can share a little about who she is, and what Jamaica is with the world.

GG: What is the most memorable thing about Christmas growing up in a Christian home (or not) in your country?

Shena: The most memorable thing is 'Grand Market'. Grand market is a Jamaican tradition where majority of stores are left open until early Christmas morning and you are free to roam the streets with your friends and family and get any last minute shopping done or just hanging out and having fun.

Also another memorable thing is coming home late on Christmas morning from grand market and getting the most 2-3 hrs sleep to get up early to go Christmas morning service at church for 6am. Good memories.

GG: What's a typical christmas day like (with family and friends etc)

Shena: A typical Christmas day is getting up early to go to church then after church going by family to help prepare Christmas dinner and then the rest of the day is just spent in fun and fellowship with family and friends.

(Usually in my family we will go by my moms sister and then other family and friends will drop by during the days but in past years it was alternate for my parents families, so one year we would spend Christmas with my moms family then the other year with my dads family) but now we are in Trinidad and dont get to Jamaica as often for Christmas but its still good.

GG: Where did you learn about Christmas really?

Shena: I learnt about Christmas from my parents, my dad being a pastor and all.

GG: What are the typical foods you eat on Christmas day?

Shena: Typical foods eaten are ham, baked chicken, curry goat, rice and peas, baked macaroni and cheese, green salad, stew pork, oxtail and butter beans,potato salad,escovich fish (thats fried fish with a special Jamaican vinaigrette dressing), manish water ( thats a special soup made with goat head, intestines and other parts of the goat) and fruit cake. Jamaicans love sorrel but not trini kinda sorrel with cloves, sorrel with ginger ( but not this Jamaican, i dont like ginger, i just drink it with sugar)

Written by :

Maurice Burke

 

Features - People