Christmas realities

Keith Noel, Contributor

Christmas has always been my favourite time of year. I grew up in Trinidad, where the traditions of the season are deeply rooted and highly enjoyable. It is the time of parang when in each village, groups of musicians would go from house to house singing a special type of Christmas song called 'serenal' accompanied by guitars, mandolins cuatros and sometimes a box-base while rhythm is kept by beating empty (or half-empty) rum bottles with spoons. It was also the beginning of the traditional Kalinda season with 'bois' being wielded in the gayelle at stickfighting competitions.

Christmas also had its special foods. Apart from the 'international' ham and fruitcake, there were others, like pastelles and 'payme' (known in Jamaica as duckunu or blue drawers). It was the time when strict parents relented and allowed youngsters to drink alcohol, the youngest having cherry brandy and ponche crema, a home-made alcoholic delicacy.

At Christmas time, my father, like many others, continued a tradition of waiting until Christmas Eve, the end of the Advent season (with all its solemnity and reflection) to begin his Christmas rituals. A tree would arrive on that day and it would be painstakingly decorated during the evening. In the later years, when we had lights, they would be turned on late on Christmas Eve. The tree would be stripped and discarded after 12 days, the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of the Epiphany.

Christmas is the only time of year that I have a touch of homesickness for the land of my birth. Not even carnival time evokes a stronger sentiment. So, needless to say, I love Christmas time.

Ambiguous feelings

And yet my feelings about Christmas have always been a bit ambiguous. When I began to take Christianity seriously, it dawned on me that many of the traditions associated with the season, both locally and internationally, have absolutely nothing to do with the reality that we claim it celebrates. Although one can justify the feasting, the arguments are not really that strong. And there is very little else we do at Christmas time that can even vaguely be connected with the birth of Christ.

The things that can be, like carols, are slowly being swamped by related but non-Christian things. How often do we hear, in programmes of Christmas carols, items like Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls? More than that, so much of what we do is not only non-Christian, but quite pagan in origin. While many try to justify the exchange of gifts by relating it to the gifts of the Magi, simple research shows its origin as having nothing to do with that. But here comes Santa Claus, disguised as 'Jolly old St Nick'! In this way, this character whose growth in popularity has everything to do with the business community seeing a golden egg, and little to do with the Nativity, is related to a Christian saint! And then we have his reindeer, led by Rudolph, flying across the night sky.

And, of course, what is Christmas without Christmas trees? Yuletide, with its holly and ivy and mistletoe and all the superstitions of ancient Western Europe has a strong claim on the season. The pagan origins of the Christmas tree would surprise many. But even my church has had a Christmas tree some years, painstakingly decorated by ardent members!

How can we be comfortable with the fact that at Christmas time more alcohol is consumed than at any other time of year? What does the drinking of rum, beer and whisky have to do with the Nativity? It should be anathema. If you want to see demonstrations of ill-temper, join the throngs who find themselves in the malls during the last-minute Christmas shopping rush. I have heard more bad words and 'cussing' coming from the mouths of normally decent people at this time of year than at any other! But, on the other hand, I know of no old-timer who does not wistfully recall the days of the Christmas Grand Market.

Christmas time does bring some of our best and warmest feelings and memories but, let's face it, much of it has nothing to do with the birth of Christ.

Keith Noel is an educator. Feedback may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com.