Bahamian Culture— What is Junkanoo?

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There are many different parts of Bahamian culture but the biggest one I can think of is definitely Junkanoo. It’s a Bahamian tradition that formed back when there were slaves here and the owners gave them a few days of freedom around New Year’s and Christmas. The slaves chose to celebrate those days with a colorful parade, with amazing costumes made out of what ever the slaves could find— which was mostly junk, and so that is where the term Junkanoo comes from.
         Junkanoo today has changed a lot from the parade the slaves used to do but you can still find many similarities between modern Junkanoo and the festival celebrated by slaves.
Junkanoo Deep Creek middle school Eleuthera Bahamas.
Junkanoo parade at Deep Creek middle school


Bahamas Eleuthera Junkanoo celebration

You may be wondering what the local foods of the Bahamas are, and the biggest one I can think of is definitely souse, a stew or broth most commonly made with some sort of meat, like turkey or a lot of times mutton though it is acassionally served with tofu. 
        Bahamians love this dish wich they eat with Jonny cake (another local Bahamian food). Many  Americans I meet do not like it as much, probably because they aren't used to it.

Souse Bahamas dish




Another local food is baked macaroni. It comes out in big squares covered in cheese. My Bahamian friends love it. It is most commonly served on holidays or for festivals.
Eleuthera Bahamas food dish baked macaroni

Johhny cake is also a very local food, kind of like corn bread, but according to most Bahamians it’s a hundred times better. It is not crazy sweet, but bready and fluffy, perfect to eat with souse or any salty soup.
Eleuthera Bahamas Jonny cake dish
Location: Eleuthera, The Bahamas

Comments

  1. Pop PopMarch 10, 2020 at 6:00 PM

    I finally found your blog, Kai, and thanks for explaining Junkanoo with pictures to explain what your were describing. You write very well and I will not be surprised if you write something that is published in a book. I am guessing it will be about some outdoor adventure you have had that other people would find fascinating.

    Question. How do I get to Amazon from your blog? Do I just click on any item, then go to Amazon and if I order something which is not what I clicked on you will get a small reward?

    ReplyDelete

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