Many people look forward to celebrating Christmas Guyanese style, with pepperpot and homemade bread, black cake, ginger beer and lots of alcohol being the main attractions.
Residents from different villages in West Coast Berbice told the Sunday Stabroek that “it is not Christmas without those things. We work hard whole year and this is the time that we have to treat ourselves and be merry.”
They said too that it is that time of the year when persons ensure that their homes look their best.
In almost all the homes of those who celebrate, there are items like apples, grapes and walnuts which would normally sell well at this time of year.
The pleasure for many in the countryside is in wearing their very best outfits, getting a new hairstyle and going out for walks on the road on Christmas Eve night just to be “part of the vibes.”
The atmosphere is very festive in some villages, with Christmas carols and other music blasting, persons consuming alcohol, some hustling to do last minute shopping and others taking their children for a picture with Santa Claus and perhaps a present. There are those who spend extravagantly on decorations to create the festive look for their homes, and on presents and fancy food for Christmas. But there are many others who would not be able to afford the luxury of a good Christmas meal or to decorate their homes for the holidays. Many parents too would not be able to purchase presents for their children and some would just focus on having a simple but special meal and just a few goodies according to what their meagre income allows.
Samantha Harbans
A single mother of three, Samantha Harbans told this newspaper, “I does cook whatever little I can afford just to mek meh children happy.”
She purchases “cheap toys” for the children even though the toys would break up soon after, but she still tries to “give them something.” She earns a small income from house cleaning for a resident about three times per week, and cannot afford proper meals sometimes.
Samantha does not purchase new clothes and she and her children aged 14, 7 and 11 months would depend on hand-downs from relatives. Her husband, a labourer died before her last child was born.
Her teenage daughter told this newspaper that sometimes she is glad for “many things,” including personal items but she would have to “do without.”
Andrea Anita Archibald
For Andrea Anita Archibald of Golden Grove, Christmas would be spent “quiet” with her two children. She cleans her house by the first week in December so she can focus on her job of cleaning for others.
A single mother, she decorates mostly with live plants and whatever ornaments she has stashed away from previous years, just to cut costs. Life is a struggle and according to her “as long as the food is there everything is ok. I try to make the best for my children.”
Asked about the pepperpot and homemade bread for Christmas morning as well as the ginger beer and black cake, she responded, “You must have that. It’s not Christmas without that.”
She would start cooking her pepperpot about four days before Christmas but “you don’t cook it right out; every day you put it [on the fire] to get a little simmer…”
By the time the family is ready to enjoy the pepperpot on Christmas morning, it has “just the right flavor… When it is stale it is better.”
Her wish for Christmas would be to have her own house and land. She has been waiting a long time for that and hopes that her wish would finally come true.
Andrea’s husband who worked with MMA/ADA died by drowning four years ago while on duty and after that she did not celebrate Christmas. “I was just taking everything light,” she said. But this year she wants to make the day special for her children.
She enjoys the Christmas season mostly because of the “nice things that are on sale, although I cannot afford to buy. I would just window shop and feel happy.”
Sunita Indar
Sunita Indar, of D’Edward plans to cook her fancy food on Christmas Day and sit with her “family, friends and neighbours and have a good time.” She said “Christmas comes once a year and at least we have to prepare for it. As long as there is life, there is hope.”
She will be among the many persons who will be going out for a walk on Christmas Eve night with their families.
If she had a Christmas wish it would be to “have better days with my family and for more peace and unity with everyone in the country.”
Oslyn Melville
Oslyn Melville, an auditor with the Region Five office, plans to go to church on Christmas morning before distributing presents “to the less fortunate brothers and sisters.” She also plans to “visit persons I did not see for the year and spend time with them and share a little sentiment.”
She recalled that last year she “did not do anything special; I preferred to relax and reminisce with my family.” She told this newspaper, “Last year I acquired my duty free vehicle and I am very thankful for that. For 2013 I hope to go to higher heights and that is working towards my goal and I think that by God’s blessings my goal would be fulfilled.”
Her wish for Christmas would be “a trip to the Caribbean… kind of like island hopping.”
She recalled that as a little girl there was a lot more excitement for Christmas, “but now coming on close to the day, I am getting into the Christmas feeling.”
Shanta Ramlochan
At Number 11 Village, Shanta Ramlochan, 34, wished she could afford to do more to make her four children happy for the holidays. She cannot afford to decorate her humble home, cook fancy dishes or buy the children presents. They would only get toys and clothing if someone gives these to them.
But her children understand and “dem does content…” She was planning to take the smaller ones out for a walk on Christmas Eve night though. Shanta said she “does try” and that once she gets the ingredients for something nice, like chowmein or chicken, she would cook good meals for her children.
Her 18-year-is daughter has moved out of the home to live with someone. The 16-year-old who is out of school assists her at home with her two other children, aged 11 and seven, while she earns a meagre income as a domestic worker.
Shanta has never received presents either and would have been happy for whatever she got. She was separated from husband because of his drug habit and said he does not look after the children.
Eulalie Fraser
Eulalie Fraser always looks forward to the Christmas season, but this year would be sad for her because she lost her mother in January and the following month her sister died.
She thinks that “Christmas is how you make it. Some people would spend a lot of money at this time but not everybody can‘t afford to do Christmas shopping.” She is “thankful for whatever the lord provides. I pray that God spares my life to see Christmas.”
Eulalie suffers from a disability and is unable to move around much, while her husband who had an accident earlier this year, is mostly confined to bed. That does not stop her from struggling to make ends meet. She earns a living by knitting chair-backs and other items.
Her children help her with the cooking and other household chores, but she would help with the laundry. She makes use of the opportunity to earn some extra dollars and said this year she got “a lot of orders for the holidays; I cannot even handle all the work. I am trying my best to finish.”
Her condition would not allow her to sit up for too long and after her morning prayers she would have to “lie down and knit sometimes.”
She thanked God that she can earn an income but sometimes she cannot afford the crochet thread she uses for her knitting. In that case, “people would bring their crochet thread sometimes and I would just charge for workmanship.”
The woman said too that “sometimes I don’t have anything [in the house] and I would pray and by the end of the day someone would call and offer to give me something.”
With a positive attitude, she told this newspaper that “when I look back at where I was [in her younger days] and where I am now, I am happy.” She recalled, “My parents were so poor that one year Christmas we had rice with pumpkin for lunch. Sometimes we couldn’t even bake a proper cake. I was telling my children that things are better now.” No one knew about their situation then “because our parents taught us to content with whatever God provided for us.”
She remembered too that “in my small days an uncle bought toys” for her and her 11 siblings. He wouldn’t have “enough for everybody but we learnt to share. My uncle would buy a dress for me at times.”
What she enjoyed then was that “people used to come around and sing carols and we would offer them something to drink. They used to make us feel happy.” She also loved the masquerade band and said she watched it from her landing.
