This morning, we celebrated New Year's by attending "Junkanoo", a traditional Bahamian celebration that has been observed since the late 1700s in one form or another. It is believed to have originated around Boxing Day, when the black slaves were given a day off, and which they made the most of by starting their celebration on the eve of their day off, and going straight through until the early hours they day they were to resume work. The slaves would dress in costumes to provide some degree of anonymity, (there is a suggestion that the word "junkanoo" is a modification of the French words "gens inconnus" or "unknowns"), and invoke spirits to curse their masters. The event has lasted the generations since, and there are three now Junkanoo celebrations in Nassau; mid-December, Boxing Day, and New Year's. The parade consists of thousands of participants who make up various huge marching bands and floats with incredibly elaborate costumes and floats. The bands and floats/costumes are judged, and competition is fierce.

After a fireworks display on the harbourfront, we headed downtown at 1 a.m. to the street-side bleachers to await the Junkanoo parade. And we waited, and we waited and we.... At 4 a.m, we nearly packed it in and went back to the boat. However, we were warned by a local that "Junkanoo starts when Junkanoo starts", and we wandered along the parade route until we saw several bands getting ready to march. It had rained earlier in the evening, which apparently delayed set up by a few hours, as the participants tried to keep their costumes and floats dry. It also takes hours to get everyone marshalled and in place, and in the Bahamas, well, what can one say except that we are on "Island time"! At 4.30a.m., the first of the big groups was ready, and our patience was rewarded with a spectacle that was unforgettable. There were a lot of bands/floats with religious themes, one with a Vikings theme, and interestingly one of the larger groups, known as "Roots" (with over 500 members!), had a NFL theme, with floats for each NFL team, and participants sporting NFL logos everywhere. The sound was fantastic, with brass instruments belting out tunes that sometimes sound just out of key (and deliberately, but properly so, if you follow...), had a marvellous quality to them, but it was the percussion that was truly awesome. There were drums of all sizes, and their number was often double the number of other instruments, and the percussion section was accompanied by bells, whistles, maracas and small horns. When one hears a band approaching, the anticipation is palpable, and when the whole ensemble heaves into sight, the excitement rapidly picks up to the tempo of the drums. The beat got everybody on the street moving, and between the sound, the colours, and the gyrations of the dancers and the movement of the floats, the whole experience was intoxicating and absolutely glorious! After several bands went by, it was 6.30 a.m. and getting light, and our tired girls were ready for sleep! Junkanoo, of course, kept right on going, and at 11 a.m. they were still at it along the parade route. At 2 p.m. New Year's Day, one could have fired a cannon down the main street and not hit anyone....the town packs it in for a day's rest after Junkanoo! The next time I see Junkanoo, I want to stick it out!

Happy New Year!