Celebrating Christmas and New Year BVI Style!
Growing up in the Caribbean meant that we celebrated holidays a little differently. In the BVI, because of our multicultural population, we celebrate American, English and our own holidays. We party for the 4th of July and have fireworks, have a national holiday for the Queen’s birthday and every year we have our carnival which celebrates emancipation. It doesn’t matter where you are from, you can have fun here and represent your heritage as long as it involves having a party!.
No matter where you are from, the one celebration that always brings people together in the BVI is Christmas. Like everywhere else in the world, we put up decorations and start playing Christmas music weeks in advance in order to rouse the Christmas spirit. In our capital, Road Town, we have the main roundabout, which the Rotary Club decorates. Every year it is different and it is always a talk of the island when the lights turn on and it never fails to bring a smile to my face. One of the local gas stations down the road usually inflates giant Santa Claus ornaments. There are quite entertaining! Although they use the same decorations every year, it is still funny to see a Santa dressed in his winter suit in the Caribbean.
We have our own Caribbean Christmas songs here that are a joy to listen to and will undoubtedly get stuck in your head once heard. My favorites are “Mama bake your Johhny Cake, Christmas comin”. It is a simple song with a catchy beat. A Johnnycake is a local dish, which is delicious and can be stuffed with saltfish, cheese or just enjoyed on its own. Another classic is “How will Santa get here.” The lyrics will have you chuckling and I have played this for family members overseas because it a classic song for us. Here is an excerpt from the song:
“There is no reindeer in my country-
He have to borrow me neighbor donkey
The yard has no snow-the house has no chimney-
so how will Santa really get to me?”
It’s true! We don’t have chimneys, but every year Santa somehow managed to bring presents, eat the cookies and drink the milk (or rum!) that was left for him.
Our Christmas day doesn’t start with lighting fires, throwing snowballs, or turning the heat up. We usually watch the boats sail past while drinking our coffee or mimosas, take a dip in the pool, and open our presents under the tree. Families here always spend the morning together and then we meet at a beach for a day of games, a BBQ, and swimming in the sea. A Christmas must, is Guavaberry wine and some delicious black cake, which is a cake made with rum-soaked fruit.
Shortly after Christmas is another holiday celebrated worldwide…New Years! We have some incredible parties to go to for this occasion. The most famous venue is Foxy’s located in Jost Van Dyke. Their Old Years Night theme this year is Arabian Nights. Foxy’s was voted one of the top 5 places in the world to see New Years for the Millennium and the party just keeps getting better.
If you want to stay on Tortola, head on down to Trellis Bay on Beef Island. There are enormous statues and artistic metal sculptures that are set in the water or on the beach and are set fire to before the clock turns midnight. There will be live music and a family-friendly environment.
Needless to say, you can’t go wrong with coming down to the BVI for the Holidays. Just swap your snow boots for flip flops this Christmas or want to come watch fireworks on the beach for New Years, the holidays in the BVI are second to none.
