Cayman plans its own Thanksgiving

An apolitical, non-government group of Caymanians has launched an initiative to celebrate a national holiday called Cayman Thanksgiving on the weekend of the first Sunday in December. 

The celebration is designed to give thanks for Cayman’s blessings and is timed partially to express gratitude for the end of hurricane season. Cayman Thanksgiving will involve several aspects over three days, but a central focus is a gathering of family and friends for a traditional Sunday meal featuring fresh fish, meat and local produce. 

The idea for the holiday got its germ last year when Samuel Rose’s young daughter, Kayci, learned about American Thanksgiving at Triple C School. Mr. Rose said his family, like many others in Cayman, celebrates American Thanksgiving. 

“She came home and asked ‘Why don’t we have Cayman Thanksgiving?’,” Mr. Rose said. “With as little as that, this all started.” 

After discussing the idea with family, who all supported the concept, the Rose family celebrated Cayman Thanksgiving for the first time last year. The family meal featured Cayman-style beef, conch stew and Cayman-style fish as well as a variety of local produce.  

“It was extremely empowering,” he said. 

After discussing the idea with others, Mr. Rose found support for trying to widen the scope of Cayman Thanksgiving to a national celebration. He said many conveniences of Cayman life today didn’t exist a generation ago. 

“We take so much for granted,” he said. “I’m not trying to paint over our problems. But we want people to take a break and say ‘today, it’s not cool to complain; today let’s focus on what we’re blessed with and be thankful for what we have’.” 

Pilar Bush, an advocate of the initiative, said Cayman society had become quite divided. She said that as recently as two decades ago, Caymanians were known to be very welcoming to expatriates and visitors. 

“There’s a lot of tension in the community, a lot of ‘us and them’ thinking,” she said. “We just want people to pause for one day and do what Caymanians did 20 years ago.”  

The Cayman Thanksgiving concept calls on Caymanians to reach out to non-Caymanians and invite them to family gatherings. She said many people have difficulty articulating what Cayman culture is about. 

“But we have a very strong food culture,” she said. “We’re trying to start people at a point of strength.” 

Weekend schedule  

Cayman Thanksgiving will start with a concert called “Homecoming” on 2 December at the Pageant Beach site next to the Wharf Restaurant. The concert will showcase three local bands – ThE iZ, Thanks & Praises and Swanky Kitchen Band – as well as Caymanian musicians Lammie Seymour, Jonathan Ebanks, KK Alese, Jeffrey Wilson and Devon Edie. 

Giving back will be the focus on 3 December with community service activities planned under the banner ‘Charity Begins @ Home’. 

Residents will be encouraged to donate their unused hurricane food provisions to less fortunate families. A special Market at the Grounds farmers’ market that day will feature many of the ingredients necessary to make a traditional Cayman meal. 

Although Cayman Thanksgiving is not necessarily a religious celebration, church-going has a strong cultural tradition in Cayman and observers of the holiday are encouraged to attend a worship service at any church either on Saturday or Sunday. 

Sunday afternoon or evening would feature a gathering of family and friends for a traditional meal. It is hoped some restaurants would offer similar meals so tourists or those not invited to a home meal can join in the celebration.  

Ms Bush said the hope this year is only to get the tradition started. “We think it will take five years to get real traction,” she said. “But we hope to get 100 families to invite people to their home this year.” 

For more information about Cayman Thanksgiving visit www.caymanthanksgiving.ky