`Long ago Christmas was amazing but it is far different now’
Although there seems to be more excitement with the fancy items including decorations, household articles and food selling around this time, many of the older folks feel that the spirit of the Christmas season to which they were accustomed has been lost. Stabroek News spoke with some of the seniors recently.
Franklyn James
Franklyn James, 67, of Hopetown recalled that “as a little boy I spent the holidays very good. My parents used to follow the old tradition, that if you behave a good boy you would get to see Father Christmas [Santa Claus].”
They would send him and his siblings off to bed early “… because when we sleep then Santa would come. When we wake up the next morning we would get our toys in the stockings.”
But “from then on things change every year. In my children’s time, I could remember that we used to put up a Christmas tree and we used put the children’s toys and other presents under it.”
He also reminisced that “the food was there as usual on the table – the ole Creole food. We had pepperpot with homemade bread in the morning and for lunch we would eat dry food, like provision. Then later we had the black cake and ginger beer.”
James recalled that “in the afternoon as well as the next day, you either go out to visit or people would come in and you would share the food and goodies.” Nobody had to be invited.
His parents also made parcels with walnuts, cakes and other sweets which he would distribute to elderly residents.
“People used to send goodies to our house too… but we don’t have that anymore. I think that in different areas there are different types of people. Some people didn’t grow up with the spirit of giving… It is a change from long ago to now,” he said.
In his days, he was part of a group that went around the community and sang carols at people’s homes. He smiled as he recalled his visits to the home of the district health care officer, Dr. Maraj.
“Everybody used to get excited to go there to sing. I can remember that Dr. Maraj used to look out for us and when we left his home we didn’t want to go anywhere else to sing.”
“Even persons who were not part of the caroling would still go to Dr. Maraj’s house. He used to treat us nice with lots of fancy things to eat and drink.”
He also enjoyed the masquerade band “with the cow, Tall Lady and Bam-Bam Sally. As a little boy I used to enjoy the Tall Lady.”
He said the enjoyment can never be like before because “then you could have invited anyone in your house but now you cannot trust people…”
James who lives alone does not plan to cook anything special for the holidays. He became blind in 2000 and his wish is to start seeing again.
Winston Faucet
Winston Faucet, 70 of El Dorado Village said that “as a boy growing up Christmas was nice. But I always say it is how you make it. If Christmas comes and meet you broke you are in trouble. These days to enjoy the holidays you have to have money.”
He was a member of the masquerade band and played the musical instrument. He recalled that they visited residents’ homes and “got a small piece, ice cream or ginger beer or people would pack a bag for us.”
He recalled too that “in my days people used to go around and sing carols and that would put you in the mood for Christmas but now I don’t hear anyone singing.”
He said too that if “you don’t have a radio sometimes you don’t hear the carols to know that the season is here. You do not feel the spirit of Christmas like in my days.”
“In fact, last year I did not even know when it was Christmas Eve day and when someone told me that the day had reached I was surprised.”
His mother always ensured that he and his siblings had their ginger beer, black cake and pepperpot with homemade bread.
He was hoping that this year someone would “remember to bring some pepper pot, ginger beer or ice cream for me. I would not be able to make anything much on my own.”
He wished for “good health” in the New Year and also that it would be free of any hassle. Faucet also lives alone and said his children are “scattered all around.”
As far as he is concerned, “People are commercializing the Christmas and the real reason behind the season seems to be lost. The young people don’t get the fun anymore like what we had long ago.”
According to him, there was a “big communal mud oven that everyone used to bake all of the black cake and sponge cake. People did not know about baking in gas ovens. We did not have them in my days. Even now some people still bake in mud ovens or firesides.”
He looked out for the toy guns each Christmas and said he “used to dress up with it on my waist and walk around and make firing sound.
But that can’t happen now because even the toy guns are teaching some youths to become violent.”
Faucet remembered too that “we were more cultural then. We helped the elderly persons to do their cleaning, make the curtains and decorate their homes for the holidays. They did not have to pay for it. But these young people don’t have time for that now…”
Yadwantie Singh
Like most other children in her days, Yadwantie Singh and her six siblings who grew up at Cotton Tree would hang their stocking on Christmas Eve night.
“My folks; my mom and dad used to buy dolls for the girls and cars or guns for the boys and would tell us Santa brought them.”
Her family would spend the day together at home and enjoy the curried chicken and dhall puri. Her mother would also make ginger beer and pepperpot and would bake the black cake and homemade bread in her mud fireside.
On Christmas Eve night they would go to the Presbyterian Church where there would be singing, skits, exchanging of gifts and lighting up of the Christmas tree.
They would continue singing carols throughout the night at people’s homes. She said “it is sad that I don’t see it happening anymore… Long ago Christmas was amazing but it is far different now.”
To her, “This generation doesn’t know the true meaning of Christmas; it is slowly going away.”
As a child she liked “everything about Christmas. I loved the peace, love and harmony and the fun that came with the celebration.”
They did not buy the fancy decorations but it was “fun making the decorations and putting them up. Children don’t get same fun as I had in my days…”
She recalled that her father never allowed them to go anywhere. “We would only get to go somewhere when he is going; otherwise we have to be at home.”
Yadwantie, who lives with her husband, was planning to make ginger beer and fruit cake as well as fried rice, pot roast chicken and chowmein for Christmas.
She was not planning to buy her husband a present but was looking forward to one from him because “he would always buy me something nice.”
Clothilda Nedd
Clothilda Nedd, 92-years-old of No 9 Village enjoyed Christmas as a little girl, “It was very nice; I cannot complain. I used to go out with my friends and have a nice time.”
She grew up with her grandmother up to the age of 10 before moving to live with an aunt. Her relatives used to buy her a present but she used to be fooled on Christmas morning that Santa brought it.
She helped her aunt to prepare the meal on Christmas day and would “spend an enjoyable day.”
She thinks Christmas is “brighter now because of all the nice things that are on sale.”
Angela Carpen
Angela Carpen, 83, tries to make the most of the Christmas holidays although it is nothing compared to what she enjoyed as a child.
Growing up in a Christian home at Hampshire, Corentyne, she said her mother baked all types of cakes as well as bread to go with the pepperpot and also made ginger beer.
Her parents also bought presents, which included toys and goodies, for her and 13 siblings and would “put them behind the door and say Christmas Father bring plenty things for ayuh,” she remembered, laughing.
She said they all went to church on Christmas Eve night and sang carols, performed skits and would later exchange gifts.
Her father was a foreman at the Albion Estate and she said they grew up fairly well-off and were “happy children.”
Her father reared a lot of sheep and for Christmas he would kill a couple and his children would share the meat with his relatives. She had fun doing so because they would collect their “small piece.”
She recalled that she and her siblings would have a taste of alcohol on Christmas day from her father. They also enjoyed a good meal of curried mutton with rice or dhall puri.
Angela was planning to go around last Sunday on a tractor/trailer with members of her Presbyterian church to distribute presents and candies to the less fortunate children.
She would prepare nice dishes for her grandson who lives with her and would also “make parcels” containing cake and methai to share with her neighbours.
Coming from a madrasi clan, she would also be making her traditional snacks like ‘waday’ [from dhall], bara and phoularie to put in the parcels.
The cheerful woman who rears “plenty ducks and fowls,” was happy that she did not have any medical complaints. She also wished for “good health and strength for me and my grandchildren…”
Karansingh Ramjeetsingh
Karansingh Ramjeetsingh spent Christmas in his early days at No 19 Village, Corentyne. Coming from a humble family with 13 step brothers and sisters, life was tough for him.
He recalled that as a little boy he “used to run around wid toys and play; that is if I get toys. Not everybody used to get… We would only get if an uncle or so come from overseas and buy one or two and we would share.”
He remembered that his stepfather who liked to drink “used to kill a sheep and sit with his children and feed them but he never gave me any. He used to give his children rum and wine to drink too.”
Karansingh said he would go away to the home of his aunts and uncles to spend some time and eventually moved in with them. He also got fun by going out with the other boys for picnics on Christmas day. But at the age of 16, he decided to take life more seriously and “joined the Christian faith…”
According to him, “We used to go around house-to-house and sing carols on Christmas Eve night. People used to invite us to sing and would give donations for the church.”
He finds that Christmas is different now because “it looks like everybody got money and would buy a lot of alcohol and keep big party.”
He said the “young people coming up now would only drink all the time and behave bad.” Sadly, he said his six sons do not visit or give him and his wife anything for the holidays.
