Did you know (Sunday, January 1, 2023)

“The celebration of Christmas in Jamaica dates back to the period of slavery in the 17th century….During that period, plantation work would cease from Christmas Eve until Boxing Day, every year, and plantation owners would give each of the slaves the annual gift of a piece of cloth and meat. For slaves, who usually had only the entrails and other leftover scraps of the animal, the treat of meat was a delight, but what triggered even more merriment was the rare gift of wine the slaves received.

The plantations then had all-night dances that included masqueraders and plenty of drumming. It is from these all-night dances that one of Jamaica’s most enduring Christmas traditions emerged — Jonkunnu.”

Jamaican Christmas Customs by the Jamaica Information Service