Three weeks of communal activities steeped in both traditional and modern practices, including hunting, fishing, dancing and singing, herald Christmas festivities each year in the Indigenous community of Parabara.
The activities, which begin on 1st December with planning for the Christmas holidays, typically end when all the foods and drinks are finished on Boxing Day.
According to Parabara’s Toshao, Clarence Rudolph, the Christmas festivities make up the biggest activity in the village and can be compared only with the month of activities that take place in September to mark Indigenous/Amerindian Heritage Month. “It brings us together… Christmas and heritage celebrations are the biggest in the sense that the celebrations are longer and they involve the entire community. We do not leave out anyone. This year might be a little different as we are not inviting outsiders,” Rudolph said.