Everyone talks about the ‘good old days’ when times were simpler. Take a look at this picture from yesteryear and see if you can spot places, people and scenes you recognise.
Batabano (1984)
I have to say, when I came across these pictures posted by Diana Whitty on Facebook, I was immediately transported back to my teenage years in the Cayman Islands. I recognised so many faces in the parade groups, and marvelled at what the costumes looked like back in those days.
I had forgotten how George Town used to be the main gathering area to watch such festivities. Just look at this image with a view of Edward Street, with crowds along both sides, eagerly awaiting the carnival’s arrival. On the left is The Royal Bank of Canada, where the likes of Victoria’s Secret and Penha now reside. Of course, the Post Office on the right still stands, but further north you’ll see Comart Ltd. – a favourite shop back then, with Fantastique upstairs. Old Havana Cigars now occupies the space downstairs.
Our family would drive into town, find a parking space, then seek out a good vantage point along the pavement. It was a big social affair, catching up with people we’d bump into while listening for the telltale sounds of the approaching parade.
When I saw this next picture, another thing struck me: How little I see women with rollers in their hair these days. Like the fireflies that we saw everywhere at night when we were children on the island, yet now are nowhere to be found, so the sight of ladies with rollers has slowly disappeared. Of course, like fashion and everything else, salon products change with the times, but I suddenly remembered how we’d often see women walking through town, at the supermarket or in the bank with those plastic tubes perfectly lined up over their heads. They cared not one whit about being out in public while their hair was setting; the important thing was that it would be styled and ready to go for a fancy event or church on Sunday.
Another thing that becomes clear in these wonderful pictures is that many of the costumes were homemade. Certainly, when I was growing up on the island, my mother used to make all of our costumes for school, Halloween, Pirates Week… there was limited stock available locally, so you had to be creative with what you could find. Which brings me to my own Batabano experience in – I think it was – 1986…
That marvellous character, the late Consuelo Ebanks, was putting together a Batabano group and I signed up to be a part of it. The theme she chose was the Cayman alphabet. There would be 26 participants, each representing something local that started with a different letter. Just as I tend to do these days, I got a bunch of friends to join in.
For starters, I was U – the Union Jack. My friend Tara was C – a coconut tree, and Betsy was W – a windsurfer.
For weeks, the whole lot of us worked on costumes with Consuelo. She was so much fun, and enthusiastic, and creative – we loved her. You couldn’t help but be swept up by her energy. Tara had a headpiece with brown coconuts swinging around her noggin, Betsy was wearing a swimsuit with sail attached by a belt, and I was dressed in red, white and blue, with lots of glitter at the ready.
There were all the other letters as well, although what the majority represented escapes me for the most part. I think T was tourist, S was scuba diver, and N stood for the Numbers game. What I definitely do recall, however, was that on the day of the parade, we lost a couple of members of our group. For any other Batabano entry, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but we were an alphabet that needed every letter.
I can’t swear to it in court, but I have pretty strong memories of us grabbing a tourist off the street and asking them if they would step in at the last minute to cover at least one loss. They happily obliged, probably partly due to the imbibing of a quantity of alcohol a few hours prior. The other letter got sorted too, so as we arrived at the judging area, which used to be a stage set up in Seven Mile Shops, we were a full complement once again.
We didn’t win that year for best group, but we didn’t care. It had been so much fun making our own costumes and being part of the parade. Spending that kind of time with great friends and Consuelo was priceless.
I get that things evolve as the decades pass, but looking at these pictures, I can’t help yearning for a taste of the old days. How about a nostalgia parade? Just let me know, and I’ll get started on my costume.
If you have some old photos that you’d like to submit, we’d love to see them to consider them for publication. Be sure to include the credit for the image and any information you have about it. Email to [email protected].
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