Years ago when Caymanian men were making a living at sea they often kept in touch with family and friends by corresponding through letters. Women would make their way to the post office hoping they’d be among those who received a letter from their husbands or family members overseas.
More than likely, the letter would contain written accounts of Christmas celebrations in other lands, especially a narrative on freshly fallen snow and its mesmerising effect on the men from the tropics.
Traditionally, the day before Christmas Eve, mothers would gather their children and head to the beach with sand baskets that were made from silver thatch earlier in the year with the sole purpose to gather sand for their yards.
People passing by could hear the laughter of children emanating from behind the sea grape trees as they busied themselves collecting sand along the shoreline. It was the mother’s job to ensure that sufficient sand was collected to distribute evenly in the yard.
As they returned home, each child carried their share of sand with two discarded conch shells in their baskets. The sand was deposited strategically around the yard in miniature piles, with equal attention being paid to both the front and back yards. The children and other able-bodied family members would stomp on the piles of sand until it was evenly distributed throughout the entire yard.
The scent of Christmas
On Christmas Eve morning, children would awake to the gentle sounds of their mothers and aunts sweeping their yards using brooms made from the rosemary shrub. Some of the rosemary leaves would fall to the ground during this sweeping motion, releasing a slight pine scent that would linger, a definite sign that Christmas was approaching. The pink conch shells found on the beach would be used to make a pathway leading from the main entrance of the house to the road or to decorate the perimeter of the house.
Essentially, the white sand was used to imitate snow, which was only a concept to some, as many had never seen it. Today, many homeowners opt to plant grass in their yards as some consider sand to be a bit of a nuisance as they appreciate the hard work that had to be expended on maintaining a yard of sand.
It is evident that some families still follow this tradition, especially those who live on the coast. The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park has on its premises a replica of a quaint Caymanian cottage with a delightful sand yard, which is easily accessible by visitors. Alternatively, take a drive around Cayman this weekend and see how many white sand yards you can find.
This column was submitted by the National Trust for the Cayman Islands. For more information, call 749-1121.
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