Jamaica

I cannot express how deeply Granny loved Jamaica by mere words. However, by relaying stories about my grandmother's Jamaican pride, I believe I can give you an accurate description of her feelings.

Independence Day in Jamaica is a holiday of celebrations throughout the island. It is synonymous to The Fourth Of July in America. This occasion commemorates Jamaica receiving their independence from England. Jamaica has been blessed by British rules and influences. After all, it was due to their social mores that we as Jamaicans acquired our "brought upsy" and proper way of living. Although, as much as we appreciated their customs and mannerisms. We yearned to be independent of their rule and domination in our culture.

Jamaicans wanted to have their own idealogies regarding our political system. So suffice it to say, that when Jamaica became emancipated from British rule, Jamaicans were besides themselves with glee. That is why, every year on August 2nd, we celebrate this momentous occasion. Independence Day is generally celebrated with a tremendous display of pomp and circumstance. Elaborate floats are made, and street dances are organized all throughout Jamaica. Citizens spend weeks preparing for their outfits to wear on this special day.

Granny was never one to celebrate holidays, not even Christmas. She mostly celebrated her Sabbath, however, when it came to Jamaica's Independence Day, Granny most definitely got her knickers in a crease for these festivities. She would make several trips to King Street to have a sharp outfit made in calico or denim,
These materials are associated with the national outfits of Jamaica. After her fittings, she was off to the hat maker to select a spiffy straw hat. On her way back from her shopping spree, she would stop at the local vendors and buy all the Jamaican memorabilia she could find for her grand children. She wanted us to experience the Jamaican Pride she felt on Independence Day as well.

Granny would always say, "You haven't truly experienced Jamaica, until you experience Independence Day Jamaican Style." As usual, Granny started the day by going to church to pray for Jamaica. But when her religious activities were over, Granny was ready to wave to the floats and dance to calypso music like anybody else. Granny had a judging system, It was either very lovely, lovely or "muss-muss". If you got a "muss-muss" rating, you were definitely lacking in good showmanship.
Most people in Jamaica viewed the parade from the street level. As many Jamaicans may know, sometimes things can get rowdy. Granny and I would visit with her friend Sister Sinclair who worked in a tall office building with a large balcony in order to get a clear view of the procession. She would pack a nice picnic basket filled with aerated water, toto bread, "horse biscuits",cut cake, and grater cake. We would go up to the balcony with Sister Sinclair and friends and experience the floats first hand. It was an exhilarating feeling.

The John-Kanoo floats were always magnificent. A man would be painted with various bright colors and he would wear a huge crown of chicken feathers on his head.
Granny especially liked to watch the John-Kanoo mascot and the girls dressed in glittery outfits.
She would occasionally shout, "Sweetheart you have to shake your hips a little more, Liven up yourself!" No one could hear her, but she kept on rooting for the participants anyway. Days before the parade, Granny would spend hours making her own confetti from discarded paper around the house. As each float went by, she doused them with the confetti and said, "God bless you, while you up and down the street my love."
Granny used the confetti as if it were holy water.
The Jamaican sun was always faithfully scorching, so Granny would treat us to a round of snow cones and pepper shrimp. You may ask, why pepper shrimp? Well after you eat a few of those tiny shrimp, you realize that they are so blasted hot that you forget about the Jamaican heat.

As the floats commenced their journey and the procession started to wind down. Granny and I would make a gracious exit from the area. As we strolled down King Street towards home, we often ran into some of the participants of the event. Granny would then offer her commentary. She would say to the girls on the float, "Darling that color looks so nice on you. You should wear that color more often." Or "Don't forget to smile while waving the Jamaican flag."
I often teased her by saying, "Granny, I didn't know that you were the Parade Coordinator?"
She would quickly respond, "There's a lot of things you don't know about your Granny. You know I used to give Samba and Salsa lessons. I could have given Juliet Prowse a run for her money any day. Come on Ms. Mags, let's go it's getting dark and the evening is changing." That was Granny's way of saying let's get home before the witching hour.
My Granny was always full of surprises and she was an original. They sure don't make them like they used to.