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Bahamian holidays in your vacation
WELCOME BAHAMAS - NASSAU, CABLE BEACH & PARADISE ISLAND - 2006
Bahamian holidays in your vacation
Celebrate days off and special events with locals
Bahamians observe many of the same statutory holidays as their vacationing guests, with a couple of extras thrown in, although they celebrate these welcome days off in their own inimitable way.
Christmas and New Year's Day, for example, include Junkanoos - lively midnight-to-dawn street parades that feature hand-carried floats and colourful costumes, moving to the beat of goatskin drums and the sound of whistles, conch-shell horns and marching brass bands.
Forget hams for the long Easter weekend, from April 14 to 17 this year. Bahamian families traditionally feast on freshly caught fish.
And then there are days other North Americans don't observe as national holidays; Whitsunday, for example (celebrated on Monday in England and some other Commonwealth countries), 50 days after Easter, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles.
Two Bahamian-only holidays are Independence Day on July 10th - celebrating The Bahamas' peaceful break with Britain in 1973 and Emancipation Day - celebrating the end of British slavery in 1838, held on the first Monday in Aug (Aug 7).
While both Americans and Bahamians observe Columbus Day, Bahamians now call it Discovery Day and are debating whether to change the name once again to National Hero's Day.
And while most of the world celebrates Labour Day on the first Monday in September (Sept 4 this year), in The Bahamas it's observed on the first Friday in June (June 2).
Even non-statutory holidays, such as Valentine's Day on Feb 14, have a special Bahamian flavour. Maidens expect flowers, a card, a present and a candlelit dinner, and woe to the swain who forgets.
February, the month of romance, is the coldest month of the year up north but not in The Bahamas. Here, the mean high daily temperature in February is in the 77 degrees F range (or 25 degrees C for those who are used to Celsius readings).
Valentine's and weddings
Many couples come to Nassau in February to celebrate Valentine's Day with more than a romantic dinner in mind. The week of Feb 14 is a popular time to say "I do."
There are lots of attractive venues for a wedding. Among them are the gardens at Graycliff, a 280-year-old mansion-turned-hotel on Blue Hill Road, the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island or the French Cloister, constructed of 14th Century ruins imported from Europe, at the One&Only Ocean Club, also on Paradise Island.
For something simpler and less expensive, you can exchange vows on a beautiful sandy beach against a blue sky and turquoise sea. The Ministry of Tourism has a special section, dedicated solely to weddings, where the staff helps couples cope with all the details. The experts can be reached at 356-0435/7/8 or visit the Ministry of Tourism website at www.bahamas.com.
But there are other things than weddings going on in February. The annual Valentine's Day Sailing Regatta is held at Montagu Bay, at the end of East Bay St, during the weekend of, or the weekend after, Feb 14. While watching Bahamian sloop racing, you can relax along the seashore and purchase native foods sold by vendors in a park along the Bay.
Another popular event is the annual Heart Ball, which raises funds for the Sir Victor Sassoon Bahamas Heart Foundation, assisting children who need heart surgery. The ball is normally held at Atlantis and features live music and raffle prizes.
Nassau is a great place to look for Valentine's Day gifts. Bay Street, Cable Beach, Marina Village at Atlantis and smart shops throughout New Providence all offer Valentine's Day specials on jewellery, perfume, clothing and more. Roadside vendors sell Valentine's Day baskets filled with red roses, plush teddy bears, chocolates and balloons that say "I love you."
Spring into Easter
While melting snow, chirping birds and budding flowers signal the beginning of spring to the north, Bahamians welcome the season with even more regattas, elaborate Easter hats and watching the antics of high-spirited spring breakers.
During March, the beaches and resorts of New Providence come alive with students celebrating their academic hiatus. The Ministry of Tourism coordinates activities for them, including beach parties, games and music. Hotels and resorts offer additional festivities.
A fun event for dog lovers is the annual International Dog Show and Obedience Trials, normally held on the second-to-last weekend in March at the Botanical Gardens on Chippingham Road, just off West Bay Street across from Arawak Cay.
This weekend event showcases a "potcake" pageant, in celebration of The Bahamas own mixed-breed dogs, judging of purebreds and a police dog demonstration.
Montagu Bay, mentioned earlier, is the venue for a series of springtime regattas, including Snipe Class races hosted by the Royal Nassau Sailing Club. Then the Nassau and Miami yacht clubs team up to host the annual Miami to Nassau Race Week, an open-ocean event that draws top boats and skippers from North America.
Easter is one of the two most solemn religious festivals of the year in The Bahamas, which claims the most churches per capita in the world. Good Friday and Easter Sunday services overflow, but there?s always room for visitors on vacation. Two favourite churches are Anglican/Episcopalian Christ Church Cathedral downtown and St Matthew's Church on Shirley Street, the oldest still-standing church in The Bahamas. Call for service times but plan to arrive early as the pews fill quickly at this time of year.
Hot summer fun
More than two centuries ago, George Washington referred to The Bahamas as the "isles of perpetual June." While there are seasonal variations in temperature and rainfall, the weather is almost always sunny.
Aside from being warm, the summer season is punctuated by two homegrown festivals associated with two important national holidays, as well as a month-long warm-up to the year-end Junkanoo parades.
Every Saturday in June, Bahamians celebrate the spirit of Junkanoo during the annual Junkanoo in June Heritage Festival held at Arawak Cay. From early afternoon to late in the evening, Arawak Cay comes alive with the sounds of Junkanoo music and the spectacle of multi-coloured costumes.
In addition to Junkanoo, you can enjoy authentic Bahamian food: freshly-caught snapper and grouper, peas 'n rice, macaroni and cheese the Bahamian way and other delicacies. Afternoon celebrations include craft demonstrations, storytelling and children's activities.
On July 10, Bahamians celebrate Independence Day, remembering the day in 1973 when The Bahamas officially ended 325 years of British colonial rule.
Bahamians celebrate with a cultural showcase, mini-tattoo and a fireworks display at Clifford Park near Fort Charlotte. A Junkanoo rush-out is also held at 5am from East Bay Street near St Matthew's Church to Fort Charlotte.
In August, Emancipation Day is observed on the first Monday of the month, commemorating the abolition of slavery, which started earlier but was finally accomplished in 1838. Many of the day's activities are in Fox Hill Village, located in east-central New Providence. Here, you can find a Junkanoo festival, live music, dancing, native shows and traditional Bahamian cuisine.
On the second Tuesday of Aug (Aug 8), residents of the Fox Hill Community in eastern New Providence celebrate Fox Hill Day, which includes a mini-fair featuring an array of mouth-watering native dishes, plaiting the maypole and young men trying to climb a greased pole to collect a prize of a bag of money. The celebration culminates with a Junkanoo rush out.
Discovery Day
Fall up north is marked by flying autumn leaves, getting out the woolly sweaters and counting the days until Christmas. In The Bahamas, afternoon temperatures will be well over 80 degrees F and visitors will find the Atlantic delightfully warm. But for Bahamians, the Discovery Day holiday in October is the last big beach day of the year. Even then, most will go to the beaches, but they "ain' goin' in th' wadda."
Columbus Day in America is Discovery Day in The Bahamas and it has a special significance because Columbus made his landfall in the New World on Oct 12, 1492, at San Salvador, a southern island in the Bahamian archipelago.
Also in October is the International Cultural Weekend at the Botanical Gardens on Chippingham Road. This event falls on the second-to-last weekend of the month with food, drink, entertainment and arts and crafts displays put on by local groups, representing countries from all over the world.
Next comes the Bahamas National Trust Art and Wine Festival, held at The Retreat on Village Road. Visitors mingle with local artists while tasting fine wines in a tropical garden.
Another fun event is the annual Christmas Jollification, also held at The Retreat. This mini-fair heralds in the season with displays of Bahamian arts and crafts that are perfect as gifts.
Deck the halls
"Tis the season for visitors to flock to New Providence in search of holiday cheer and to escape the blast of winter's chill. Bahamians know Christmas and New Year's Day is around the corner when Prince George Dock fills with cruise ships, Bay Street is plugged with holiday shoppers and sidestreets are decorated with wreaths and Christmas symbols.
While many look forward to the end of December and the New Year, the beginning of the month is also filled with events.
The authentically Bahamian Christmas Trade Show, held during the first weekend of December at the Wyndham Nassau Resort, features Christmas arts and crafts from almost every island in The Bahamas. Here you can find wood carvings, ornaments, art, straw crafts and food treats, including renowned rum cakes.
Film buffs travel to The Bahamas to see features, documentaries, short films and animation at the Bahamas International Film Festival with venues at Atlantis on Paradise Island, Hard Rock Cafe downtown and Galleria Cinema at John F Kennedy Drive.
Music lovers will enjoy the annual Night of Christmas Music, presented by the Rotary Club of West Nassau, featuring the nation's leading choirs and solo artists, along with a performance by the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band, held at the Wyndham Nassau Resort.
The Renaissance Singers also perform an evening of classic, modern and ethnic Christmas music during their annual Christmas Concert, held at Government House.
The future of Junkanoo is highlighted during the Junior Junkanoo parade downtown on Shirley Street. This pint-sized version of the main Junkanoo parades features primary and secondary school students and is held during the second weekend of December.
Boxing Day and New Year's Junkanoos climax the year's events, culminating year-long preparations. In the months leading up to the parades, participants prepare their costumes and practice routines.
In keeping with Bahamian tradition, Boxing Day Junkanoo symbolizes the end of the year while the New Year's Junkanoo signals the beginning of another - a distinctively Bahamian way to ring out the old and ring in the new.
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