The Caribbean Islands are well known for the colorful celebrations of Christmas. All the nations of the Caribbean celebrate it with great fervor, as this is the major festival here. Christmas in Caribbean has different connotations as the traditions and rituals accompanying the festival are different in the various nations here. Although the inherent religious aspect is common to all, the means of celebrating and the ethnicity unique to the different parts make it even livelier and a joyous occasion to look out for.
Christmas in Caribbean entails exchange of cards, gifts, greetings and even visiting relatives and friends. As it is holiday on Christmas, the entire family is out on the streets on the Christmas Eve dancing, singing, wearing masks and scaring people and enjoying till dawn. Papa Noel is believed to bring in gifts and presents for all.
Christmas celebrations in the different nations of the Caribbean are significantly different in the following ways.
In St. Lucia, the primary tradition involved with this festival is the bursting of the Bamboos. Since late November, people, generally men are involved in this tradition thereby celebrating the festival of Lights and renewal that falls on the 13th of December, a few days prior to the Christmas Day.
In Jamaica, Christmas was traditionally celebrated with the establishing of markets. These markets sold a variety of items like toys, gifts, firecrackers and also the Blue Mountain Coffee! These have given rise to the community fairs that are still seen in many parts here. People generally shop on the Christmas Day, however today they throng to major malls in the cities and the shopping is generally done away with a few days before Christmas.
Christmas celebrations in the islands of Bahamas surround around the festival, ‘Junkanoo’. It is a traditional carnival. Colorful parades are the highlights of the celebration here.
Haitians celebrate Christmas with lot of decoration in the house. Whitewashing and refurnishing of the house and buying new clothes for all the members of the family generally precede the Christmas Day. The adornments also include pine tree branches embellished with various bright ornaments posing as the Christmas tree and also the traditional cave manger with figurines depicting baby Jesus, Joseph, Mary and the three wise men other than the animals of the stable in which he was born.
Christmas in Caribbean is incomplete without a lavish spread of home made delicacies. Roasted pork, turkey, plum pudding and cakes top the menu in almost all homes.
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