Preservation and resurgence of Guyanese holiday traditions

Nov 12, 2017 Consumer Concerns, Features / Columnists

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By PAT DIAL

A few days ago, we heard some Christmas music on the radio and were reminded of the imminence of the advent of the holiday season. We were also reminded of the way in which Guyanese people, five or six decades ago, moved into the holiday season from November.
An atmosphere of expectancy enveloped the Society in a gradually rising crescendo from mid-November. School children had their end-of-term parties and teachers were less exacting and an air of relaxation and bonhomie pervaded the schools which quietly extended to the larger society.
In the schools, it was usual to stage parts of the Christmas story, in costume, using the various Christmas carols. For example, the birth of Jesus would have used the carols “Away in the Manger” or “While shepherds watched their flocks by night”. Younger children, with unshakable belief, were all devotees of Father Christmas.
Thorough house-cleaning and sprucing up of the surroundings were done. Furniture was renewed and repainting of houses were part of the preparations. These activities provided employment for handymen, joiners and carpenters. The stores, even the smallest ones, were decorated, projecting the colourful fantasy of Christmas. They brought in special stocks for the holidays. These included a variety of gifts for the Season and ingenious toys for children. Window-shopping was part of the joy of the Season.
It was unthinkable to serve one’s guests during these holidays with aerated drink or food from restaurants or cakes from bakeries. All families were expected to serve locally made drinks such as ginger beer, sorrel, carambola, jamoon wine or rice wine. Home-baked cakes such as black cake and a variety of fruit cakes were a de rigeur requirement of the Season.
One custom which only exists in the memories of older folk was the beautiful and colourful Christmas and New Year cards which were sold everywhere. Many of these cards had touching sentimental verse, and though most could not be considered great poetry, they had a particular holiday charm and flavour. The artwork of many of these cards was memorable. Owing to the sad and disastrous experience which Guyanese Society and Guyanese people had suffered over the last five or six decades, there was massive emigration and the effacing of cultural norms including many of the end-of-year holiday traditions.
In any country, despite its deep traditions having been suppressed in various ways, these continue to exist in the innermost recesses of the national psyche and could again manifest themselves. We therefore believe that many of our valued traditions could be resuscitated and again bring the joy in which past generations participated.
However, in the first place, we must realise that the effort to renew our houses and surroundings, preparing special foods and cultivating a spirit of relaxation is something cathartic. It is finalising one era – the old year- and entering a new one- the New Year. And when we enter the New Year, we would have done so freed of the burdens of the past and ready to meet with optimism the challenges of the present.
We must realise that all the holiday preparations and the effort to “finalise” the old year are of positive psychological importance. We should therefore try to complete all outstanding matters by the end of the year.
Christmas and holiday shopping should be done early, since there is less likelihood of buying things which one does not need or buying over-priced goods because of their presentation and appearance. One would thus overcome “compulsive buying” which often overtakes consumers in the heart of the Christmas Season.
In buying gifts for children, giving them books is preferable to the games which many of today’s parents seem to prefer.
Today, people seem to prefer to go out to public places of entertainment during the holiday season. Reviving the older tradition of the house party would again bring back the strengthening friendships and greater pleasure. Many happy marriages used to result from such parties. One of the greatest pleasures which used to be experienced was the change of weather in November in the run-up to the holiday season, people in the past used to call it the “Christmas weather”. At this time, the refreshing Trade Winds rise fanning the whole coast.
And as Guyana is in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun moves away from the Earth towards the Tropic of Cancer, finally reaching it on 23rd December. During this time, the sun’s light has a lighter gold and the days are cooler. The light during the day seems to have various hues and sunsets are earlier. The sunsets tend to be pastel colours, different from the bright orange, turquoise and other bold colours of July and August and have a beauty of their own. The skies at this time have various shades of blue and not only the bright blue of August and the clouds are very silver.
At sundown, the dusk is longer than at other times of the year and for the hour or so it lasts; it suffuses everything in a beautiful blue haze. The trees and vegetation at this time are of a pleasant green between the dark green of August and the spring green one often sees in March and all flowers are in bloom. Such common flowers as hibiscuses, bougainvillas, poinsettias, oleanders and buttercups brighten the environment. The end of year holiday season and their traditions need preservation and resurgence and beginning this year is timely.

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