Families strive to keep dying traditions alive

With Christmas just days away, Jamaicans in the United States Diaspora are gearing up for the holiday, holding on to some cherished Jamaican traditions while others are either lost or diluted.

The festive meals of Christmas remain a stronghold in Jamaican households, but the deep family unity, a hallmark of the holiday back on the island, has diminished over time. Christmas breakfast, dinner, and the tradition of opening gifts in a family setting are still widely practiced, but the extended family gatherings of the past have become increasingly rare, according to several Jamaicans who spoke with The Gleaner.

Owen Eccles, president of the Jamaican Organization of New Jersey (JON-J), noted that while some Jamaican Christmas traditions are still observed, the key element of family togetherness is fading.

“The food and some level of family unity still endure, but things like the tradition of singing carols as a family have become less common,” Eccles said.

He mentioned that, while families still meet for Christmas dinners, many old customs from Jamaica are being lost, especially among younger generations. “We need to return to the traditional ways we celebrated Christmas back in Jamaica,” he added.

Eccles believes that Jamaicans have become so accustomed to the American way of celebrating Christmas that they are losing touch with the traditional Jamaican customs that once defined the holiday.

“We are missing the essence of the traditional family celebration of Christmas, and we need to get back to that,” he said.

Eccles will, however, be celebrating with his family on Christmas Day, ensuring that the traditional Jamaican meals are included in the festivities.

PRESERVING TRADITIONS

Dr Lois Harris shared with The Gleaner that she does her best to preserve as many Jamaican traditions as possible during the holiday season.

“I try to maintain as much of what I did back home as I can,” Dr Harris explained.

She attends church on Christmas morning and prepares all the traditional Jamaican dishes she grew up with, including the famed Christmas breakfast of ackee and saltfish, and for dinner, fried fish, ham, stewed chicken, oxtail, and more. Desserts include rum cake, and beverages like carrot juice, soursop, beetroot juice, and sorrel.

“All the cooking is done the night before Christmas Day,” Dr Harris said.

On Christmas morning, the family gathers to open presents, continuing the traditions she grew up with in Jamaica.

“I make sure the family stays connected to traditional Christmas celebrations,” she added.

Judith Cunningham also shared her efforts to keep the Jamaican Christmas spirit alive in her family. A week before Christmas, she begins preparing the house by cleaning, changing the linens and curtains, baking rum cake, and making juices like sorrel.

For Christmas dinner, she serves a spread that includes ham, chicken, fish, curried goat, oxtail, and other Jamaican favourites. The family gathers early Christmas morning to open presents, sing Christmas carols, and play Jamaican Christmas music throughout the day.

“We try to involve the kids as much as possible to ensure they are part of the traditional Jamaican Christmas celebration,” Cunningham said.

She also tries to attend church on Christmas morning.

“The difference between celebrating Christmas in Jamaica and the US is that in Jamaica, it’s more of a Christian celebration, while here in the US, it’s less so,” she added. “But we try as much as we can to uphold the Jamaican tradition.”

‘HOMEY AS POSSIBLE’

Andre Davis, who runs Buff Patty in Elmont, New York, shared that he and his family have continued celebrating Christmas in the traditional Jamaican way.

“We do all the traditional things for Christmas just like we did in Jamaica,” said Davis, who has lived in the United States for the past 10 years.

The family prepares traditional meals, opens presents together while dressed in their “Sunday best,” and enjoys the day with food, family, and fun.

“We sit around, eat, talk, sing carols, discuss our accomplishments, play reggae music, play dominoes, cards, while the kids play outside,” he said.

Davis also ensures that Christmas dinner features Jamaican favourites, such as baked chicken, jerk chicken, curried chicken, oxtail, fried fish, and stew chicken. Sorrel and Jamaican rum cake are also a part of the feast. “We try to make it as homey as possible and maintain the traditional Jamaican Christmas celebration,” he explained.

Dr Nicole Bent-Jones said that while she and her family maintain as many Jamaican Christmas traditions as possible, they do mix in some American aspects of the holiday.

“Our Christmas meal includes many Jamaican dishes, but we also incorporate some American dishes,” Dr Bent-Jones said.

The family starts Christmas Day with the traditional Jamaican breakfast, opens gifts, and makes phone calls to relatives in other states or countries.

Dr Bent-Jones noted that one key difference between celebrating Christmas in the United States and Jamaica is that, in Jamaica, people typically visit friends and relatives who live nearby, while in the US, many are spread out across the country.

“I try to instil in my children the same way we spent Christmas in Jamaica,” she said.

She also mentioned that on December 20, the Jamaican Association of Houston will provide free Christmas dinners to members of the community.

While there may be no Christmas market for children to visit for last-minute toys, or Jonkunno bands parading through the streets in the US, Jamaicans in the diaspora are still doing their best to keep the spirit of their homeland’s traditions alive.

editorial@gleanerjm.com