Chistmas has a special meaning for all Guyanese, Christians as well as non-Christians. Even though the way in which it is celebrated differs due to a diversity of religions and cultures, the spirit of Christmas bonds everyone. These cultures emanate from its six peoples whose roots are in India (East Indians), West Africa (Afro Guyanese), Madeira (Portuguese), China (Chinese), Britain and the rest of Europe (Europeans), and the natives (Amerindians).
In Bush Lot where I spent my first twelve years, Christmas was celebrated much more quietly than in Georgetown, the capital. My friends and I received few toys. We cherished the little that we did receive and in no way did we feel deprived. We were not exposed to advertising since there were only two radios in the village.
Most of our time was spent playing outside in our yard. My friends and I made many of our own toys or got older friends to make them for us. A “bucktop” was made from an awara seed, a wooden peg and bees wax; we used an old tooth brush and string to get it going,. Our “tassa”, a drum, was made by tightly covering a calabash with a piece of cloth. Various types of mechanical rollers were made from discarded wheels. We made cricket bats from scraps of wood or from coconut branches. Cricket balls were made by boiling balata gum; sometimes we added a piece of cork in its centre to make it float in water. My friend and idol Dipnarine was an expert at making and using a sling shot. We made an explosive gas acetylene by placing calcium carbide in an Ovaltine container; we spat into it, closed its lid tightly, shook it and put a flame near to an opening at the bottom. The loud explosion carried the lid several metres away. There was some danger with this activity but our parents did not put a stop to it.
The Christmas which I will describe was typical of those which I spent in Georgetown in the late 1950s. It centred to a great extent around our Drug Store, above which we lived at the corner of Camp and Norton Streets. It was a busy spot, noisy at most times but we were well adjusted to it.
Around Georgetown, people were busy several weeks before Xmas, with renovating, painting, curtain washing, step scrubbing, linoleum laying, and floor polishing with Mansion Polish. Crushed ginger and mauby bark were boiled and fermented to produce ginger beer and mauby drink respectively. The ingredients for Xmas cake, raisins, currants and prunes were soaked in rum. Some families decorated homemade Xmas trees with lights, tinsels and cotton wool, to simulate snow. Local trees were also decorated with lights.
Decorations in our Drug Store were completed two weeks before Xmas. We displayed Xmas cards individually in a large tray. The person who was attending to cards had to be prepared to read the words to the older customers, who needed glasses and who wanted to hear long and beautiful verses rather than simple words. This job was usually entrusted to those of us who were still at school. We were more enthusiastic and competed with each other for the most sales each day. I did this job for a few years in early 1950’s and had my reading skills often put to the test to get a sale. When I started to work in the Civil Service, the reading job passed on to my nephews. Gift sets--perfume, cologne, and after-shave lotion were big selling items and were conspicuously displayed in the showcases. I enjoyed working on displays and decorations because of the compliments I received from customers. Apples, grapes, walnuts, almond nuts chocolates, dates, biscuits and cheese were imported and available during the Xmas season. Many Guyanese associate Christmas with many odours in a store or in the home; for example ethylene gas from apples; ginger beer, Mansion Polish, fruit cake and other items had their individual smell. Of course there is a greater emission of odours in a tropical climate.
Xmas music played over the two radio stations VP3BG and VP3MR from early December. Wm. Fogarty, Bookers Universal, and many other stores in Water street had attractive displays in their showcases and many people took their families to go “window shopping” in the evening. Ulric Gouveia, probably the most popular radio announcer at that time, organized a choir to sing Xmas carols for the benefit of needy children. Steel bands were all over the city practising their stuff in the evening. A new atmosphere pervaded Georgetown and people appeared to be happier because Xmas was an accepted time of general renewal. Ice cream and pop sickle vendors extended their business hours and did good business because it was hot and humid. It was common to see four children purchasing one pop sickle for 6 cents and sharing it. Street vendors sold water coconut, potato ball and channa and usually did a brisk trade.
I worked at the Post Office in the downtown area during the period 1954 - 1958 and noticed that the “hire purchase” or credit sections of some stores were quite busy during Christmas. The music and activity in the stores were enticements to “buy now and pay later”. In our store, some of our customers made deposits on toys which were picked up on Xmas Eve. Also, it was common practice for customers to get quotes for items from various stores. Sometimes we sold items at prices lower than the marked prices. We were able to do this because along with the selling price, we also marked a secret code of the cost price on the item. Our code was BUCKINGHAM; B = 1, U = 2, etc. . For example if the cost price was $2.50 our code was UIM. We were flexible when dealing with our customers and had to appreciate their financial position.
Regardless of their financial position, people made an effort to be well dressed during the Christmas season. It seemed that the Xmas feeling made people happier. There were home parties and staff parties to attend. It was a special time, a time to forget one’s problems and to celebrate. Once I attended a staff Christmas party at the Post Office and did now know how to dance. I felt embarrassed and decided on taking dance lessons.
The Portuguese celebrated Christmas Novena, a Madeiran custom; Madeira is an island off the coast of Portugal. They attended Mass at 5:30 a.m. for nine days preceding Xmas. People of other ethnic groups and religions participated in the service. Novena ended with fasting on Xmas eve.
People spent Christmas Eve completing last minute shopping and preparations. We did very little work in the office because we were in the holiday mood. Mr. Deane, the Deputy Postmaster General distributed treats to the staff and wished us a Merry Xmas. After a relatively easy day at our offices, my brothers Clement and Reuben and I rushed home to help in the store. Many of our former staff, with whom we maintained close contact, came in the evening to volunteer. All help was welcome on Christmas Eve. It was an evening of confusion, excitement and fun; confusion because many of us were not familiar with all of the items. Several of us dressed up with costume hats and this added to the holiday atmosphere. After the store closed at midnight, our tired bodies ended upstairs to celebrate. The party was the culmination of a hectic season.
Xmas morning was an eventful one. The singing of the birds was masked by the excitement of the children. They rose early and searched pillow cases or stockings to find out what “Father Christmas” had brought them. Some of the toys ended up in the beds of the adults who did not mind being robbed of some sleep on such a special day. We did not exchange gifts in our family but received some cash from my father. In retrospect, I feel that this was partly due to our culture; we do not show our affection as openly as is done in North America. As a family, we were quite close. After breakfast our maid came in for a few hours to help with the meal preparation, and she took home food for her family. In some homes, maids were given the day off and the meals, pre-cooked from the day before, were heated. For most people, however, relatives assisted with the cooking. Doors and windows were left open to allow air to circulate. There was shared excitement in the neighbourhood.
Throughout the day uncles, aunts, cousins, other relatives and friends dropped in for short visits. Our family had a large meal at noon. My brothers and sisters and their families came in the afternoon. Turkey was not served. Some of the meals served in Guyanese homes at Xmas were garlic pork (Portuguese influence), sweet and sour pork (Chinese influence), curried chicken, mutton or beef (East Indian influence), pepper pot (Amerindian influence), “cook-up peas, meat and rice” (African influence), with rice, roti or dholl puree. Of course one had to taste some ginger beer or mauby and eat some fruit cake or bolo de mel, Portuguese molasses cake. In our home the adults sat around and chatted about various topics including politics, their successes and failures during the year while the youngsters played outside, ran up and down the stairs and had a great time with their Christmas presents.
The streets in Georgetown bustled with activity. Groups of masqueraders with fife and drum, and dressed in African costumes performed for a large crowd. People rushed to the streets to the sound of the drums. Two interesting sights were the “long lady” on stilts and the “mad cow”. Steel bands also paraded through several of the main streets and there were spontaneous “jump-ups”. Unlike Canada where it is a quiet day for one’s family, Christmas Day in Georgetown is vibrant and lively. One did not feel lonely. Music is played loudly until late in the evening.
Boxing day was a continuation of the celebrations. The postman, the iceman, newspaper boy, and other persons who did some job for you during the year dropped in for a piece of cake and a “shot” of rum. Friends and relatives also dropped in. It had been customary for us to close our store on Boxing Day, but many of our customers made special requests for items. Eventually we kept the store open until noon. I have worked on Boxing Day and did not consider it an imposition. In fact I quite enjoyed the interaction with our customers. We did a good trade with gift sets, Andrews Liver Salts and headache remedies.
The next few days was a time for the return to normalcy. It was also a time to prepare for Old Year’s Night. A typical sight on this night was for someone to be dressed up as a female in the very late stage of pregnancy. He/she danced to the accompaniment of music and said in Guyanese Creole lingo “wha fu happen le-ye happen one time”; when interpreted it means that if there is to be imminent danger, let it happen in the old year rather than in the New Year. The person received a “small piece”, a donation, an African custom. New Year’s Eve was the time for the biggest dance of the year, for dancing and “feting” all night and into New Year’s Day. New Year’s day was one for recuperation from a “hang-over” or for relaxation and hope for a successful year.
I vividly remember the first Christmas I spent in Canada in 1958. I was terribly homesick and found that the day dragged on. I kept day-dreaming about what was taking place at home each moment. I have since adjusted to life in Canada and even though I quite enjoy the peace and quiet of Christmas here, I still miss the old Guyanese Christmas with all its hustle and bustle. This feeling is shared by many of my Guyanese friends. We have pleasant memories of our early years in Guyana.