Early in the morning on New Year’s Day, Caymanians in Bodden Town in years gone by celebrated Junkanoo as they prepared for the New Year’s Day Garden Party at the Manse.
The ladies in their bonnets or hats and long plaid dresses and the men in khaki and bowler hats made a charming panorama on the grass as they enjoyed the joyous occasion with old friends and family.
For the Junkanoo, a few men in the community, especially the men from Gun Square, would dress up in costumes made with whatever material was handy – bits and pieces of brightly coloured fabric, cow’s skin, seaweed and sea fans, and other discarded items.
The ghastly Junkanoo face mask was made from a dried-out whitewashed cow’s head. Pieces of dried coconut bark were used for the hair and beard. An old straw hat tied with thatch string finished the get-up.
Blowing cow horns, banging on homemade cowskin drums and shaking tambourines, the Junkanoos would parade through the district collecting money for the church with a band of revellers in tow.
Those were made up of adults and children following the horse as they wove their way through the streets of the community on their way to the Webster Memorial United Church where the New Year’s Garden Party was being held.
The garden party was an amazing event and one that was waited upon all year with great anticipation. It was exciting and great fun, especially for children who looked forward to watching the ladies dance the Maypole.
A main draw was the town’s auctioneer selling off the most prized produce and fruits. For the occasion, everyone had saved the best of produce, craft or homemade food to be on display during auction time.
Some overzealous bidders often paid triple for what the produce was worth, because they knew all the proceeds would go to a good cause, the church fund.
The children also got to sample the delicious homemade peppermint and coconut candies and cakes.
The Junkanoo was the highlight of the whole holiday season.
A dance at the town hall, the lighting of lots of firecrackers, thunderbolts and cherry bombs wrapped in decorated Chinese paper, food and drinks ended the season’s festivities with a bang.
This is an excerpt from an article by Jewel Levy which originally appeared in the Cayman Compass.
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