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Pepperpot, Family, and Faith: A Guyanese Christmas in New York City
By Tracey Khan
(Kaieteur News) – In New York City, Christmas arrives with many accents, rhythms, and flavors but for Guyanese New Yorkers, the holiday is a full-sensory celebration rooted in culture, family, and joy. From Queens to Brooklyn, homes transform into lively hubs where Caribbean traditions meet city hustle, and Christmas feels less like a single day and more like an entire season.
As Christmas approaches, Guyanese families across the city are putting the final touches on their preparations. The streets of New York are bustling with shoppers, men and women hunting for the perfect cuts of meat for Pepperpot, the beloved Guyanese Christmas staple. Kitchens have turned into command centers, filled with the unmistakable aroma of the rich, slow-cooked stew made with cassareep. Passed down through generations, Pepperpot is often prepared on Christmas Eve and reheated for days, with each serving growing deeper in flavor. Paired with homemade bread, plait bread, or roti, it’s a dish that ensures no guest ever leaves hungry.
Mikey Mohanlall’s home shines bright for the holidays—bringing Guyanese Christmas spirit to life with stunning decorations, family warmth, and festive cheer in New York.
For wealth builder Jennifer Rampersaud, Christmas morning starts early. This year, she’s hosting most of her relatives and friends. From carefully set tables to lavish décor that begins outside her home, lined with beautifully decorated trees, her house is ready for celebration. Though Rampersaud has spent most of her life in New York and has only visited Guyana once, she has never let go of her roots. She holds her traditions close, ensuring her daughter and grandson, Saint, understand their heritage and experience it fully.
Faith also plays a central role. Many Guyanese churches host Christmas services the night before, reminding families of the true reason for the season. On Christmas Day, families dress in their finest, gathering in gratitude and fellowship before returning home to celebrate. Queens neighborhoods such as Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, and Jamaica feel especially alive during the holidays. Homes and businesses glow with colorful lights, and gatherings stretch from living rooms to backyards—even in the cold. For Mikey Mohanlall and his family, Christmas means going all out. Known for their stunning decorations, their home fills with food, laughter, and relatives who gather to eat, reminisce, and share memories of life back home.
Food, of course, remains the star. Alongside Pepperpot, tables overflow with cook-up rice, fried fish, garlic pork, chow mein, black cake soaked in rum, sponge cake, and pine tarts. Drinks flow just as freely, sorrel steeped with ginger and cloves, mauby, ginger beer, and the occasional homemade rum blend that comes with a friendly warning.
Gift-giving is joyful, but togetherness comes first. A Guyanese Christmas in New York is about community. Visitors come and go without formal invitations. You’re fed before you’re asked your name. In recent years, community Christmas parties and toy drives hosted by Guyanese-owned businesses and organizations such as Cottage Home Care Services have become a hallmark of the season. These events reflect the culture’s deep belief in giving back, ensuring every child experiences the magic of Christmas, regardless of circumstance.
What makes a Guyanese Christmas in New York truly special is its resilience. Thousands of miles from home, traditions are preserved with pride and adapted with creativity. Snow may replace sunshine, but the warmth remains the same. In a city that celebrates Christmas in countless ways, one thing is certain: when you hear laughter, smell Pepperpot, and step into a house where everyone feels like family, even if they aren’t, you’ve found a Guyanese Christmas.
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