(This article was first published in The Anguillian on 15th December 2006.)
“Christ was born in a cow pen”. A very apt description by the Honourable Hubert Hughes (1994). It was that humble event in Bethlehem which was the origin of Christmas and its celebration throughout the ages. Actually, Christmas is a combination of two words: “Christ” (the Messiah) and “Mass” (a religious festival).
While in modern times the emphasis on Christ has diminished significantly, the emphasis on “Mass” has increased and its meaning expanded upon. It no longer means only religious festival. “Mass” now also connotes plenty feting: music and singing, dancing (jam and wine), eating and drinking, particularly, strong drink.
It is Christmas time. The familiar signs that it is fast approaching are everywhere. Mello Cello has been pumping Christmas music on Heart Beat Radio since mid-October. In November the other stations started doing likewise. The Anguilla Drug Store is a jungle of toys and other gift items. It is abuzz with activity. Business is so good that Olive is grinning from ear to ear. Right now she has no time to talk politics.
Then, on Saturdays, Mabel’s corn soup stall is surrounded by Anguillians many of whom have returned home for the season. They seem most delighted savouring the traditional delicacy: corn soup with dumplings.
It is Christmas time. We are seeing the Christmas trees and lights and the painting of homes. We are seeing women balancing on ladders trying to clean the louvres before putting up the curtains. Oh, how women love curtains! I am yet to understand why. I recall that after Hurricane Lenny a woman, who was unable to get to St Maarten to buy her Christmas curtains, ripped apart her wedding dress from which she made two curtains for her kitchen windows.
That reminds me that the annual Christmas-season invasion of St Martin/St Maarten by Anguillian shoppers has begun. It is gathering strength. Some 925 of them, armed with US dollars, credit cards and large bags began sweeping through Marigot and Philipsburg on Saturday 9th December. They have adopted a scotch earth policy which involves cleaning out the stores one by one. Their operating strategy? They are cordoning off certain areas and then moving on only when all the stores in those areas have been emptied. The invasion forces will withdraw by Christmas Eve night. As is customary, most of the shoppers will be left penniless and will find themselves in the local supermarkets taking food supplies on credit.
Anguillians do put a lot of effort into Christmas celebrations. As time passed there have been variations in the way we have been celebrating it. In my day, the nights leading up to Christmas Day were times when small groups of people went from house to house serenading or carolling. Back then, in the 1950s, people were awakened throughout the night by the melodious singing and the playing of real sweet string band music. The words of the opening song went:
Good night ladies and gents
We come for the compliments,
We coulda been here before
But we had somewhere else to go.
This was followed by Christmas greetings, from the leader of the group, and the singing of carols such as Silent Night, Joy to the World, and so on. At times when people stayed awhile before opening up their homes, the serenaders would sing:
Give it, if you have it
Give it with a willing mind,
What the Lord gave to you
Be generous and true,
Give it with a willing mind.
The serenaders were usually given a penny or two, or a few straps of corn (maize or guinea), corned jacks, “pound cake”, sweet potato pudding and some sorrel or guava-berry.
Back then, I looked forward to Christmas Day mostly for the sweet potato pudding and gifts, and to Boxing Day for more merriment. I can still remember seeing the masqueraders and the moko jumbies (men dancing on sticks) performing to the beat of the string band as they went from house bringing cheer to all. Also going from house to house were people of all walks of life visiting relatives and friends. They feasted on various types of meats (pork, goat meat, mutton and beef) and green pigeon peas with rice, and consumed local drinks like sorrel and guava-berry. For dessert there was “pound cake”, coconut tart and sweet potato pudding.
To think about it, Christmas does have a place in a Christian society like ours. It is the celebration of the birth of our risen Saviour and a good reminder that without his birth in a Bethlehem cow pen there would be no resurrection.
Christmas definitely has a place in our society. Some people look at it as time for family – time for reunion – time when relatives come in from the cold to be among their loved ones. But I see it as more than that. It is a powerful social-glue. Christmas brings people together. It has the power to bring people together in ways in which no other season has done and could do. It stimulates a sense of community spirit and creates a climate which permits the harnessing of spirits into doing good.
The Christmas season seems to bring out the best in our people. It is a season marked by loving, caring and sharing. Nobody seems to be left out. For example, the inmates at the Senior Citizens’ Home, and senior citizens all across the island, are well looked after. The commercial banks and civil society organisations do an excellent job ensuring that the children are taken care of.
The loving, caring and sharing are exhibited in the several exchange visits among homes and in the partaking of a variety of dishes, cakes, puddings and drinks. A side effect of the feasting is bulging stomachs or broad hips (saddlebags) that sometimes take weeks to disappear.
The loving, caring and sharing are also exhibited in the exchange of gifts like when the wise men carried gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus. Today, there seems to be no limit to the kinds of gifts which we give at Christmas. It is such that the season often leaves many people broke – penniless – in debt. It must. Years ago a man could have given his girlfriend a few cakes of sweet soap or a comb and mirror set, and so on, and she was happy. Nowadays, if the bracelet he buys does not match the earrings and the pendant on her necklace, he could keep it.
The over commercialization of Christmas, at the expense of leaving out Christ, is a major criticism of the way we celebrate it. But that aside, the Christmas season is worthy of the honor we bestow upon it. It is renowned for love and togetherness. If only if the spirit of Christmas was everyday! If only if the spirit of Christmas could prevail throughout the year . . . If only if . . .
A blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all.
