JUNKANOO!

Junkanoo is a big, really big tradition in the Bahamas. Originally, it was a festive celebration on Boxing Day, December 26 and on New Year’s Day. Its name may have derived from the name of a plantation owner who gave his slaves the opportunity for a big celebration. His name was John Canoe. At any rate, the tradition has enjoyed reversals of fortune, being condemned by Christians who thought it unseemly during an otherwise holy season. It was even banned by the government during the 40s. However, it’s hard to argue with tradition. Today, Junkanoo is celebrated at different times of the year in different locales. In Nassau, it takes place on New Year’s Day. Here in the Abacos, it seems to be connected to Mardi Gras even though it doesn’t take place precisely on Tuesday. Even so, it is every bit as colorful as any New Orleans celebration. However, it is not so much about an opportunity for uninhibited behavior as about the music and costumes. Different Junkanoo groups compete fiercely for prizes and recognition.
In the Abacos, it takes place in Marsh Harbor and is spread over two days. The first night features the junior paraders. Each of the island’s schools chooses a theme for its entry. Costumes are designed and marching/dance routines choreographed. The costumes are wild and fanciful constructions of feathers, tinsel and tassels—masks, footgear, head-dresses nearly as big as the persons whose heads they adorn. The theme is represented by a float which is paraded by hand, leading the school’s entry. Music is made with drums, whistles, kazoos, cow bells and the like. The rhythms are hypnotic and the whole scene becomes other-worldly. The kids are excited and throw themselves enthusiastically into the whole production. Each school’s entry in the parade is judged and the winner has bragging rights for a year. The second night is given over to adult entries and the whole thing is repeated albeit with a little more professionalism.



Along with our friends on s/v Brittany de la Mer and s/v Kalunamoo, we rented a van to see a bit of Great Abaco Island that we can’t see by boat. We drove to Treasure Cay to walk on the fabulous white sand beach and to enjoy a drink and snacks at Coco’s while we marveled at the infinite shades, hues and tints of blues of the water. Then, we drove south to Little Harbour for lunch at Pete’s Pub. Little Harbour is a tiny vacation/residential community—like Treasure, there doesn’t seem to be a real town there. Residents provide their own electricity with solar panels and generators. The harbor is in a cozy bay protected by hills. There was a handful of boats anchored there. The community is home to the Johnston Foundry. Sculptor Randolph Johnston casts his pieces in bronze using the lost wax technique. There are cute, colorful and quaint homes, vacation cottages and places to rent.

Great Abaco Island, like the rest of the Bahamas, is low lying and rocky. Most of it is covered with dense thickets of scrubby tropical growth. Many places are dominated by tall pine trees, limbless for most of their height. Palmetto scrub blankets the understory. The island has a peaceful shore liberally dotted with fine beaches. It has another shore that is steeper and marked by rocky outcrops washed by wild breaking waves.
The roads in most of the other islands we have seen have numerous communities a few miles apart and many individual homes in between. The communities on Great Abaco are further apart and there are few if any homes between.