News of The Abacos
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The following feature has been supplied by and reproduced with permission of What's On. For subscription information, please CLICK HERE. Christmas in The Abacos
Christmas in the islands of the Abacos takes several of the usual forms - parties, outings, trips to join families in Nassau and further abroad, frantic shopping, even more frantic eating and drinking, hangovers on a massive scale, the exchange of gifts and last, but not least, Church. But it also takes some unusual forms - a Junkanoo Rush-Out, a nighttime Boat Parade in the Harbour, a golf cart Santa and a Bazaar.
This search for the unusual led me on foot and by "phone to a variety of persons in Marsh Harbour and the Cays. A most enthusiastic contributor to my equally enthusiastic foray into Abaco-style Christmas was Ms. Madeline Albury of Man-O-War Cay. This particular Cay the birthplace of Abaco boat building has a gathering (for the uninitiated, a gathering is a "get-together" in Bahamian parlance) every Christmas morning.
These get-togethers began around 1949, when one Mrs. Tod Zickes, affectionately know as "Aunt Lily", used to gather all the children to give them gifts. For a few years, the gathering was held in the old schoolhouse, but the crowd began to grow to such an extent that the building could not accommodate everyone and so, it was relocated to the schoolyard itself.
After Aunt Lily passed on, the teacher, Mr. Haziel Albury, who had been assisting her previously, took over the responsibility and with the help of many friends, carried this "get-together" tradition on for more than 40 years. In recent years, Teachers and other community leaders have assumed the responsibility. The children get to call for "Santa Claus" and he now rides in a golf cart all decked out in his red woolly outfit. Vernon Albury has been Santa almost every year for nearly 50 years (just don't tell the younger children).
There are lots of gifts for the children and everyone looks forward to an apple and ice-cream (no matter how cold it is) and visitors from all over find this an excellent time to exchange Christmas greetings. Christmas morning starts at 9am and usually ends at 10:30am. It is always a GREAT time of sharing the Christmas spirit with others. They also serve coffee, tea and a lot of danishes and other sweets. The singing of Christmas carols and the telling of the Christmas story are musts.
Charlie Cooke of Rainbow Rentals, Marsh Harbour answered my call for information on the annual Christmas Bazaar with a cheery "ask anything you want." I was invited to a meeting, that very day, of the Bazaar Committee and noted the enthusiasm with which the planners sat together to organize this year's event. Charlie himself is serving as the Chairman for 1998. Some of the other members are Gillian Albury, Terri Benjamin, Lynn Key, Melanie Bethel, Doreen Parson, Peter Sexton and Barry Whiting.
The Annual Christmas Bazaar was the brain-child of Mrs. Peggy Thompson and Mrs. Sha' Boyce some nine years ago and was intended to be a community effort to assist various causes while still promoting the spirit of Christmas. The committees have been successfully holding these Bazaars annually (1997 was an exception) at Yamaha Park on Queen Elizabeth Drive. Proceeds from the Bazaars in the past have been donated to such causes as the construction of the children's play equipment at Crossing Beach, to AARK (Abaco Animals Require Kindness), to the Cancer Society and for the upkeep of Marsh Harbour cemeteries. In short, the Bazaar Committee decides to assist wherever there is a need.
Stalls are rented for $35.00 and sell such things as arts & crafts, crochet work, woodwork and hand painted T-shirts. As many as fifty stalls are anticipated this year. Of course, no Bahamian fair would be complete without stalls selling home cookery it just isn't done! Therefore, you can come prepared to begin Christmas '98 in traditional Bahamian style by eating and eating and eating.
An oversized Christmas tree is the centerpiece of the Marsh Harbour Annual Bazaar. This year will be no exception; however, an added attraction will be the performances of three Church choir groups in addition to a high school female artist who will lead the crowds in singing Christmas Carols. A youth junkanoo group organized by Ms. Carvelle, Art Instructor at Abaco Central Secondary, Murphy Town, is also expected to delight the Bazaar's patrons. The 1998 Annual Bazaar will take place beginning at 11:00 am, Saturday, December 5, 1998.
Another of Abaco's sights to behold is the Christmas Boat Parade. This year's parade will be December 18th or 19th. I was lucky enough last year, after having been a resident in Marsh Harbour for just a few weeks, to witness the Parade from the deck of Mangoes Restaurant. The view at night is spectacular the sails of boats are thematically decorated with coloured lights in the shapes of all sorts of things - high top tennis shoes, stars, people, animals and Christmas trees. The boats sail in slow and elegant single file on Marsh Harbour past the marinas and harbour-front homes, restaurants and bars in a circular marine parade which lasts some two hours. At the end on the Parade, a spectacular fireworks display is staged from a barge of the Abaco Tug & Transport Company, Marsh Harbour.
Mr. Chad Sawyer, who not only participates in the annual event but is also a coordinator, related the history of this fascinatingly different celebration of Christmas to me. The idea of having a floating parade of Christmas lights originated with an American sailing visitor, Mrs. Barbara Gordon (now residing in Destin, Florida) in 1993. It was thought that such an event would certainly please both visitors and residents alike...and it has. Over the five-year period of its existence, the Christmas Boat Parade has had up to 80 boats participating and raised about B$10,000.
Any sailing boat small enough to navigate the Harbour can take part. The fee is $10 per boat, which when added to contributions from local businesses, purchases fireworks for the finale and assists the Marsh Harbour Volunteer Fire Department in its efforts to discourage the town from becoming a subdivision of Hell.
Participants construct a frame of wood or wire in the desired shape and then attach the required number of colours of Christmas lights. The time and date of the Parade is decided by the tides, weather conditions and whether or not there is a full moon. It is preferable to have a night as dark as possible, the better to appreciate the artificial lights on the boats. They would simply be no match against the natural brightness of a full moon. An alternate date is planned for each year's Parade...just in case.
Competition is not encouraged by certificates of trophies. The Parade is intended to be visual fun for everyone. Some of the planners of the Boat Parade are Ginnie Sawyer, Chad's wife, Bo and Libby Roberts, Dan Roberts, Kim Sturrup, Troy Cornea and Dale Hill. Plane to be there!
Mr. Churton Toote and Mr. Kirk Thompson, both formerly of Nassau and now residents in Abaco, are the leaders and organizers of the Junkanoo Rush-Out group known as the Supreme Dancers. Junkanoo is, or course, the Bahamian street festival which has roots in our African, Latin and indigenous Indian cultures. Traditionally held in Nassau, the capital city on New Providence during the wee hours of the morning of every Boxing Day (December 26th) and New Year's Day, the event has, of late, been celebrated on a widening scale in the Family Islands. The instruments of Junkanoo the goat skin drum, whistles and cowbells (hence the "kalik" sound which gives its name to the national beer) have even been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.
A group of twenty of the Supreme Dancers comprised of Abaconian residents from Green Turtle Cay, Murphy town, Spring City and Dundastown traveled to Florida in 1994-95 and put on an unforgettable show at the Miami Arena. This was only one of many shows performed by the group during this period.
The main purpose for forming this group was to unite persons of all kinds to display the colour, excitement and beauty through the eyes of children. Mr. Toote feels that Junkanoo performances should be showcased between the hours of 8:30-11pm. The Supreme Dancers wish Junkanoo to be viewed as a giant, vibrant, moving colouring book. It may not be seen as the world's most exciting festival but for Bahamians, it is our pride and joy.
So, dear holiday revelers, you have a large assortment of choices this year the usual and the unusual. If you're anything like me, then a sampling of each scrumptious choice or a select mixture of the most appealing will do you. Just pay close attention to your calendar of events and be there!
