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n easo s e h tes ’s t n! It t resona d o s a i se an mas will and sharing ch t s i r of Ch od mu f the and go he spirit ed with es of o c i iv ag eer fill nt , the l for all s he m it of ch pends o We are t d d e n n i e m l r e r Fri , we believeby the spiat we do dyear long. as transforlso gratefuYear and a e a D h h F IDE cterized ch of w , but all which e we are the New W l s U u a l to m ar los wi At ma is ch cause so t Christ d good ws to a c ptimism s. t a of th s be t just a pport an ear dra with o partner ons i u t c h e t o y d n e su ity as ar efl wi will, or your ts. As th ok forw ith you ing r commun es d r a o o h f w g n lo ori an re s row tude tude and we a Caribbe nd mem it of ” grati of our s plished ild and g d n r y u e Fu e diverse oughts a the spi Th man ve accom ties to b “ e h h t. f t z i a on o ognize t t warm to reali a studen i t i we h pportun d se ha rec lp ow o stma an as we r hope t ct on h on to he i new r ness, h e i e r C u e t a fl o l a b e aw he ur t is duc ecia arib man rthy of t s is sp in the C UWI. I at as yo gift of e u h h t o u e s e In th warm giving w rit with stma rve at th e hope giving th e i r h t h i , C w e kes ess s sp and we s sider tfuln that ma re in thi st. h g that e yours will con u a o o n b u al th llow ma u will sh eed it m n nd will tmas yo o s o r e n f y o rt, a l pe e ’s s h o i e p e r p n w o h h o p t h C r su agica it is e self to ier. We for those u “ m o t y a d n d th rr th d s an happy a ar! said g out of sabel Cu ear roun ft i s i g , t I I your r a safe New Ye achin pirit.” - agic all y e r r o f e th gh as s ake m es fo le for the u h m o t s s i n i e ab u lt w Chr elp us m k yo heartfe s imagin h n a d h t g an nd nnot incere a f all thin a c y o s l best you simp We tend to and the x we e ay season ll!” for a d , i l s o u h gh hrou t , u m yo “Fro ynch

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“Dress up inna yu pretty dan-dan an yu fandangles” is an often heard charge given by grandmothers to their grandchildren throughout the Caribbean during Christmas time. You will also hear Caribbean nationals talking about the Christmas Breeze (originating from the Northern Winds) whenever the Christmas season draws near. The celebration of Christmas in the Caribbean is as unique as Caribbean history itself. The traditions and practices seen here have its roots grafted from European, African and Aboriginal heritage. And though the islands’ similarities highlight the eclectic melting pot of culture known as Caribbean their differences speak volumes. In the Caribbean the weeks leading up the Christmas means home improvement gone wild. The house must be cleaned meticulously, to the misery of the children who are home for the holidays and the tree and decorations put up. Before the era of e-cards and other electronic forms of spreading cheer, Christmas greeting cards would also be arranged in a noticeable yet tasteful place sometimes close to the seasonal Poinsettia plants. Houses are

painted, lawns manicured and new curtains, bed sheets, furnishings, appliances and the ‘once-a-year’ china are added to ring in the Christmas and the New Year. In the Bahamas and Jamaica the Junkanoo Parade is also popular during the Christmas season and some communities may put on a fair. Other unique traditions include the Nine Mornings Festival in St. Vincent and the Grenadines where nine days leading up to Christmas there are exciting activities for the whole family including church services, carol competitions and fetes to celebrate the season. Trinidad and Tobago celebrate the Parang Festival where songs are sung in Spanish. Grenada has The Carriacou Parang Festival similar to Trinidad and Tobago however, the songs are sung in English. Another set of activities unique to the Caribbean Christmas experience are Grand Market and Christmas Market. Grand Market in the past resembled a modern community fair beginning on Christmas Eve and culminating on Christmas Day. Here persons would come out to sell their

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Christmas in the Caribbean handmade toys, craft and gift items. There would also be food, street dancing, and music in an effort to maintain the joy and liveliness of the season. Now Grand Market takes place in larger commercial stores and more about walking the malls on Christmas Eve with friends to get the last few presents rather than community fellowship. Old-time Christmas Market began coming together a few days before Christmas but was fully established by late Christmas Eve. One of the famous Christmas Markets was the Victoria Craft Market at the Ocean Hotel at the bottom of King Street. Everyone was in fancy clothing, including colorful hats which were usually bought on entering the market. The vendors sold farm produce, meats, crafts and confectionaries such as grater cakes and peppermint sticks, apples from America, sorrel (in heaps), Blue Mountain coffee beans (“the best in the world”) and cocoa used to make chocolate tea. There was also the practice of families riding the ferry to Port Royal or going to the concerts at Ward Theatre.

A traditional Jonkanoo parade that used to be a staple at Christmas time in Jamaica. From the Gleaner

The Fund Christmas Day itself is mainly for family, however, friends may visit throughout the day bringing gifts and finding clever ways to sample the popular Christmas cake. Christmas day usually begins with an early morning church service; some churches starting as early as 5am! Though this may be the only time you go to church for the year many families, Christian or not, make it their duty to attend. Finally the Food! Christmas time is the one time for the year when the dining table is dressed in its best. The finest china sets and serving trays are on display and the cooking preparation begins two or three days before. During this period beverages are also special. Hot chocolate made directly from the cocoa beans and infused with coconut milk, and eggnog are some of the more popular ones. In Jamaica Sorrel is very popular made with either ginger or without and some like it made with a hint of spirit (rum)!. Ham is a must! Throughout the Caribbean, families and friends gather during the Christmas season around a table with Ham as the centrepiece. Even people who do not eat pork will tolerate it on their table and offer it to friends and family during the season. There must also be chicken and pot roast (roast beef) roasted on a coal stove, accompanied by rice with gungo (pigeon) peas, macaroni and cheese, potatoes, vegetables, fried plantain and so on. Most islands in the Caribbean share a meal similar to what is highlighted above but with their own favourite dishes. In Barbados, for example, a specialty is jug-jug, a dish made with ground meats, guinea corn and gungo peas, while Jamaicans serve spicy jerk chicken and curry goat. Chow mein and fried rice is a favourite in Guyana; garlic pork, introduced by the Portuguese, is popular in Antigua and in Trinidad. The dessert item on everyone’s table is Christmas cake also known as fruit cake or black cake. This is made from rich dried fruit like currants, raisins and prunes, and laced with rum or wine. After enjoying the much anticipated Christmas Dinner each island has their own way of ending the night if they opt to not stay home with family. Barbadians might attend the annual Police Band Concert at the Queen’s Park. Jamaicans enjoy a well promoted party and the children in Trinidad would “burst bamboo” a homemade game made from bamboo and carbide. The season ends with the grand New Year’s Eve or Old Year’s night parties usually preceded by a Watch Night Service at church. The New Year’s Day is more quiet and restful as persons may look to participate in extended family gatherings or outings with friends. Soak in the Christmas songs, whether they are in Spanish, Hindi, Patois or English: they all tell of good fortune, health, happiness and good times. Relish this region’s unique array of Christmas customs, some of them from contemporary North America, others of much deeper and darker origin. These islands, which never see holly or mistletoe, reindeer or snow (and certainly don’t miss them), have made traditions of their own to enjoy. [Caribbean Beat Issue 22 – Skye Hernandez]

Making a donation is… 1. EASY 2. CONVENIENT 3.TAX DEDUCTIBLE Our Methods of Payment include: • Online Payment via UWIDEF’s website at http://uwifundmona.org.jm/ • Friends of the UWI for residents of the US. Ask about our 501 (c) 3 status • Cheques—make payable to the UWI Development and Endowment Fund (Jamaican donors) • Credit/debit Card - Please visit UWIDEF office to conduct this transaction • Tele and Internet Banking – Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) and National Commercial Bank (NCB)- Please contact UWIDEF to get your personal donor account number to be able to access this payment option. • Cash Deposits at the following: ›› NCB Account Number – 401006753 (Mona) ›› BNS Account number – 28040 (Liguanea) • Payroll Deduction • Pre-Authorized Payment/Direct Deposit (from any of the five Commercial Banks)

UWI Development and Endowment Fund 16 Gibraltar Camp Way University of the West Indies, Mona Kingston 7, Jamaica 1.876.977.6757/6758 Phone 1.876.619.0859 Digicel 1.876.970.2023 Fax Website: www.uwifundmona.org.jm Email: uwifund@uwimona.edu.jm We welcome your feedback.

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FAMOUS CHRISTMAS RECIPES Baked Ham

NOT touch the ham. Step 4: Bake ham in a pre-heated oven at 180°C (350°F), allowing Ingredients 20 minutes per pound. Replenish 1 whole 6.36 kg. (14 lbs.) Leg Ham water if necessary. 2 sheets Aluminum Foil Step 5: Remove ham from the oven 4 cups water and allow to cool for about 10-15 1 can Pineapple slices minutes. Ham is fully baked when ¼ cup sugar the skin peels off easily. 1 teaspoon crushed ginger Step 6: Drain liquid from the can 24 cloves of pineapple slices and put it to boil 1 bottle Sweet n Spicy Hot Pepper with the sugar, ginger and about Sauce 8 cloves. Boil until the mixture 12 whole cherries becomes syrupy. Remove from flame and add the pineapple slices Steps: to the mixture, toss and set aside. Step 1: Remove ham from the To Decorate the Ham: freezer and wrap in newspaper. Peel off the skin. Use a sharp knife Thaw in the bottom of the to make diagonal slits in the ham refrigerator for 24-36 hours. and then stud with remaining Step 2: Remove casing from ham cloves. Pour Grace Sweet n’ Spicy and pat dry using a clean kitchen Hot Pepper Sauce over the surface towel. Place two overlapping of the ham and spread evenly using sheets of aluminium foil on work a pastry brush. Return to the surface and use to wrap ham. Use oven and bake for a further 10-15 additional aluminium foil to cover minutes or until a golden brown ham completely, if necessary. colour is achieved. Remove ham Step 3: Fit a rack over the roasting from the oven. pan, place ham on the rack, ensuring that the fat side of the ham Arrange pineapple slices over the faces upwards; then pour water into surface of the ham and secure each with toothpicks. Place a cherry in the roasting pan. The water should the center of each pineapple slice. Makes: 50 slices Taken from www. gracefoods. com

Pot Roast Beef Ingredients: 6 pounds Beef Round ¼ cup Grace White Cane Vinegar 4 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Grace Caribbean Traditions Black Pepper 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 medium onion, chopped 3 stalks escallion, crushed 2 sprigs thyme 3 tablespoons Grace Vegetable Oil 4 cups hot water 1 cup stock 1 teaspoon scotch bonnet pepper, chopped Steps: Step 1: Clean beef with a mixture of Grace Vinegar and water, pat dry and set aside. Step 2: Combine salt, black pepper, garlic, onion, escallion and thyme in a blender and mix until smooth. Step 3: Pour blended seasonings over beef. Make incisions in the beef so the seasonings can penetrate the meat. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. Step 4: Heat Dutch Pot and add Grace Vegetable Oil. Gently add seasoned beef and brown on both sides. Step 5: Add hot water, a little at a time, and leave to cook for about 2 hours over low flame. Step 5: Add 1 cup stock and the scotch bonnet pepper. Leave to simmer for a further 10 minutes. Serves: 8

Taken from www.gracefoods.com

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Candied Sweet Potatoes Ingredients 6 medium sweet potatoes or yams (2 pounds) 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 3 tablespoons butter or margarine 3 tablespoons water ½ teaspoon salt Steps: Scrub sweet potatoes, but do not peel. Place potatoes in 3-quart saucepan. Add enough water just to cover. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Drain; cool slightly. Slip off skins. Cut into 1/2inch slices. Heat remaining ingredients in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth

and bubbly. Add potatoes. Gently stir until glazed and hot Serves: 6 Taken from http://www.bettycrocker. com/

Egg Nog Ingredients 1 cup sugar 12 egg yolks 4 cups whole milk 1 cup heavy cream 8 ounces brandy 4 ounces dark rum 1 tablespoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg Steps: Step 1: Combine the sugar and egg yolks, beat until thickened. Step 2: Add the milk to a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Beat the milk into the egg yolks and return to the pan over low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture reaches 150 degrees Fahrenheit and is thick

enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Strain from the pan into a large bowl and let cool. Step 3: Beat the cream until thickened, fold into the egg mixture. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for 4 hours minimum. Serve cold. Serves: 2qts Taken from http://www.sheknows. com/

Sorrel Ingredients: 1 pound sorrel ¼ pound ginger 3 quarts water 1 tsp pimento 1/3 cup Sugar 2 cup Red Wine A dash of rum Steps: Step 1: Wash sorrel and place it in a mixing container that can hold hot water. Step 2: Grate the ginger and add it to the sorrel. Step 3: Boil water and pour on sorrel and ginger. Step 4: Allow the combination to sit for about 4-6 hours. Step 5: Strain the sorrel sepals. Step 6: Add a dash of rum and sweeten to taste. Add optional rum and or wine. Serve with ice cubes Makes: 8cups Taken from www.my-islandjamaica.com

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celebration of the birth of Christ Jesus who came to save mankind from sin and eternal death. Today Christmas is widely celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike as a holiday with religious and non-religious aspects steeped in a spirit of cheer and goodwill. In the Caribbean this is no different as people of all religions and some who observe no religion at all become involved in Christmas activities including giftgiving, parties and feasting, Christmas cards, Christmas music, masquerades in its various forms, and such delights. Did you know that Noel Dexter, OD has written several Christmas Carols including Sing Di Chorus? Yes he actually wrote Sing Di Chorus for the University Singers in 1977.

It is a popular sixteenth-century English carol, the originis of which lies in the English tradition wherein wealthy people gave Christmas treats to the carolers on Christmas Eve. These included figgy puddings that were very much like modern-day Christmas puddings. Did you know that there is a Jamaican Plant “Snow on the Mountain” which turns white at Christmas time? The plant’s upper leaves all turn white usually in late November and from afar resembles snow on a mountain peak with green below.

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Merry Christmas and a happy New Year artnersship in 2015 ntinued partner con We look fo forrward to our co 1. I would like to show my support With a gift of: $ ___________ Monthly ____ Quarterly ____ Annually ____ One Time _____ 2. Please designate my gift to:

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Name ________________________________________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ City _________________________ State __________________________ Home Phone: ____________________ Work Phone ______________ Cell Phone ___________________ Alumnus: Yes ________ No _________ Faculty and year of Graduation ___________________________ The UWI Development and Endowment Fund (UWIDEF) is the major fundraising arm of the UWI Mona campus and provides stewardship for funds raised though capital campaigns and projects, general endowment and planned giving. Since its incorporation in 1990, 9 and scholarship for both undergraduate studies and post graduate UWIDEF Mona has implemented numerous projects including grants research, and the establishment of various facilities for students.

The Fund When it starts to rain every day and sometimes every night; when you see more people than usual; when you hear people playing those old Christmas Carols and tunes like ‘auld lang sine’; and when Home Alone the Christmas movie plays almost every day, you know the festive season is approaching! Christmas in Guyana is so very different from other places. As a multi-race country, Christmas in Guyana is celebrated by the Hindus, Christians and Muslims. The foods, smells and traditions are contributed and adapted by Guyanese from all of the races. Christmas in Guyana is a family thing. People come home from various parts of the world, families mend relations and relations are forged during this festive season. During this season everyone is busy talking about “breaking up” their house and as an outsider you might get concerned if you didn’t know that actually meant to clean your home in a major way. Usually, by mid-December people would start to decorate their homes in fancy Christmas fern and wreaths. Many would put up a Christmas tree and neighbours would try to outdo each other with either the biggest Christmas tree strategically placed in their open verandah welcoming the neighbourhood’s envy or the most fairy lights, draped in the most unlikely places - it is a wonder electrocutions aren’t common! Growing up in Guyana I don’t have a specific favourite memory of Christmas because all seem to be warm and pleasant. As a child, the most important thing was who collected the best “dolly,” as we would say or the best toy gun. Nowadays the excitement and expectation has matured. My 5 year old nephew wants a laptop, a hymac tractor, an aeroplane and the list goes on! He wants to be typing like his auntie so I think that’s a good thing. Christmas in Guyana has retained many of the old traditions of past. While we are not big believers in Santa Claus, the children understand that if they misbehave they

CHRISTMAS IN GUYANA won’t get that present they wanted all year long. I grew up in a town called New Amsterdam in rural Guyana. The population is about five or six thousand people. On Christmas Eve night, it is very common for us to go to a community lyme, where the streets are blocked off and vendors are allowed to sell in the streets, people erect food stands and music blares from large music boxes. Here you shop, meet up with friends, take photographs with the unconvincing “Santa Claus” until parents say it’s time to go home or threaten walking home as the taxis stop running early. I can’t remember a year it hasn’t rained out both Christmas Eve and the morning of Christmas and most times the rain would force us home. Cakes are a big part of Christmas. My mother usually makes sponge cake and a large black cake similar to the rum cake Jamaicans enjoy, but our cake is a very complicated “unreciped” cake. It depends on what you like. As the only daughter in a family of four boys the cake baking work was shared. One set of us would take turns beating eggs in a pot with a metal spoon while the other half would stir butter and sugar in a bowl until you can’t feel your fingers. Thankfully my mother has a cake

mixer now but she still traumatizes us by requiring us to make the cake the old fashioned way! My mother would for weeks, sometimes months before, soak five finger diced up, orange peels, prunes, dates, raisins and cherries and some other fruits I can’t even remember anything about except their colorfulness, in dark El Dorado rum. The black cake is sometimes baked a week or two weeks before Christmas by other families and left to sit in rum. It is “fed,” rum regularly as it cures and absorbs the alcohol. The darker the cake the more lethal it usually is. Surprizingly the alcohol is not very obvious, so be careful as one too many slices can do a number on you! Cakes are also made to share with neighbours, relatives and friends. Parcels of cake, candy, apples, walnuts and grapes are sent out and received. Christmas morning is a different kind of excitement as children already had their toys from days ahead when parents get their back pay or Christmas bonus. Occasionally there might be a surprise gift on Christmas morning but what fuels the excitement is the heavenly smells from the Christmas morning kitchen. Anyone who has spent Christmas outside

Pepperpot a staple at of the Guyanese table.

The Fund After church is a different story. Some go to parties while those like me, as a woman in my twenties, is herded home by my mother where we either play games or watch Christmas movies. Christmas has changed in some ways for me. The rituals and traditions are more mechanic than spontaneous mainly due to my father’s recent passing. However I still try to pass on as much of the excitement to my nephew who thinks the holidays are the absolute best!

of Guyana will tell you of the void they feel. Our Christmas meal is cassava bread (something similar to bammy) and pepperpot our national dish. Despite the name it isn’t usually spicy. Pepperpot is slow cooked in the early hours of the morning while the cake is baking and everyone is up laughing and talking, reliving memories and catching up - sometimes after many years. Pepperpot, traditionally made with wild meat but easily substituted for beef or pork, is made from cassava casereep - a product made of caramel, sugar and cassava extracts. The process to create casereep is long and tedious and it is mostly produced by Guyana’s indigenous people, the Amerindians.

Contributed By: Devi Seitaram – 2014/2015 recipient of the Nationwide Scholarship for Journalism. Ms. Devi Seitaram is a 25yr old journalism student in final year at the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication. Hailing from Guyana Her desire for journalism began at age 8 and her love and passion grew as she came to understand the power of the pen. Since attending UWI Mona, Devi has been a freelancer. She has gotten the opportunity to write for a number of regional and international news agencies. After graduating Devi has plans to pursue graduate studies in business journalism and globalization.

By now you would probably figure that Christmas is all about food for us! And it actually is. On Christmas Day we have a variety of meals from baked chicken, macaroni pie, various trial and error salads (my mother would probably send a pot spoon flying my way for saying this!), creole fried rice with Bora, carrots and other vegetables finely chopped, curried chicken with dhal puri Cookup Rice roti, chicken chow mein and cook up. All of the favourite dishes of Guyanese people. In our family, we enjoyed various wild meat delicacies such as curried iguana, curried turtle, otter, even the manatee which lives in great abundance in Guyana. Christmas Day goes by slow and festive, sometimes there are parties but mostly everyone is at home. On Boxing Day, weddings are very popular in Guyana. You are either at a wedding, a friend’s party or visiting relatives. On the 27th everyone goes back to their regular scheduled programming except the children who are out of school, until Old Year’s Day when a number of authentic Guyanese rituals are practiced. For example the practice of making cook up rice with red beans, beef tripe and your choice of meat on Old Years Night. This stems from the belief that if the year breaks without food in the pot it may be a common occurrence in the year ahead. Also, almost everyone gets frightened that the rapture is about to happen and are therefore in church. Being in a multi-religious family I observe all the major religions but my mother is Christian so therefore we are always in Church along with the church regulars, the back sliders and people who you will never see in church again until the next Old Year’s Night.

Cassava Bread

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