By Daniel Smith
Christmas is an annual occasion to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Celebrated every December 25th, just before the arrival of new year, it is one of the seasons of the year where the whole world is thrown in a festive mood. Haiti is not left out of this yearly jubilation as the country joins the world to celebrate in its own way. Christmas in Haiti is a national holiday, and this has always helped to bring both Christians and non-Christians in contact, with a relatively jolly and festive mood. In Haiti, to extend Christmas greetings in Creole, you say “Jwaye Nowel”. Also, Haitians may spread the season compliments in French as “Joyeux Noël”. It is a season where everybody shares love and feel loved. The special magic of Christmas in Haiti is spread in the following ways.
1. Street bustling and sales rush
December in Haiti is characterized by streets filled with people busy buying and selling, or trying to acquire one thing or the other. Given the fact that it is a festive season, the prices of some commodities are inflated, but it does not go without many other commodities being sold on large discounts. Many traders put out their commodities at bargain prices, and many people come after these sales. Apart from the sales, the streets of Haiti are filled with Christmas programs and Christian music sang by Haitian artists rent the air.
2. Assorted Decorations
Come Christmas, Haiti is embellished with decorations. The first and most common decoration is the Christmas tree. The Christmas tree could be made from pine branches or carved trunks/trees. Another common and long lasting option is to get an artificial tree. Either ways, the trees are finished up by hanging flashy ornament on them and setting up many other decorations under the trees. These Christmas trees are then placed in living rooms, compounds, institutions, churches, and companies or organizations — as a symbol of celebration.
Another decoration is the fanal or flashy lightings installed in houses and streets. Fanals are made out of cartons or paper boxes glued together to form different shapes. Then Christmas light –a special lighting made of small bulbs of different colours– are installed all over the fanals. Sometimes, the locals use lit candles. At nighttime, these fanals make a really beautiful sight.
Apart from Christmas trees and other decorations mentioned above, people go about refurbishing their houses. Since Christmas is a season for families to come together, painting, patchworks or overall repairs are made to houses.
3. A spree of eating and drinking
Christmas in Haiti is best defined as a season of binge eating and drinking. Most popular during this season is the anisette. It is a mild alcoholic drink made by soaking a local leaf called anise in rum. The anise leaf is the spice from which star anise is made. After the anise leaves have thawed in the rum, the liquid is extracted and sweetened with sugar. Kremas is another delicacy made of coconut milk, vanilla extract, nutmeg, evaporated milk, and condensed milk. This drink could be sipped alone or with cake as an accompany. Apart from the drinks mentions above, families would cook special meals and kids would eat foods that they get to eat only on special occasions. The main Christmas meal, called the reveillon, is supper-breakfast enjoyed by Haitians. People start to eat as early as 1-2am and the eating galore continues till early dawn.
4. Exchange of gifts
Christmas is well known all over the world to be characterized by the spirit of giving and sharing. As such, December is a month that many Haitian kids look forward to. Parents acquire new shoes, clothes, and other stuffs for their children. Families, especially those who are returning home for the holiday, would bring along plenty presents too. Another well-known event is the coming of Santa Claus who is popularly called ‘Tonton Nwèl’. On Christmas Eve, there is a tradition where children fill their new or cleaned shoes with straws then leave the shoes under Christmas trees with the expectation that ‘Tonton Nwèl’ would replace the straws with gifts. Where there is no Christmas tree, kids leave these shoes on porches.
5. Church services and carol singing
To celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ religiously, Christians go to midnight mass and other church services. It is a tradition amongst some to go to mass with their whole family. The majority of religious Haitian are found in churches paying homage to Christ. Other Christmas Eve services are also held in churches all over Haiti. At midnight, it is tradition of many Haitian churches to sing “Minuit Chrétien”, a classical song, in a chorus. Where some could not attend church services, they gather in groups and sing carol songs in the spirit of Christmas. People return home after the mass, by 1am, to eat the reveillon (main meal).
With all the traditions accompanying Christmas, it could be concluded that the occasion is one of the most beautiful seasons in Haiti. It is a moment when the Caribbean country is filled with laughter and bright colors. In Haiti, December 24th (Christmas Eve) and 25th are beautiful days that everybody looks forward to. It is a season to give love and receive love. Houses in the neighborhoods are decorated with bright lights and have their doors open till late in the night. Children roam around the neighborhoods playing with toys and fireworks till late in the night, without fear of rebuke from parents or elders; a rare occasion in other parts of the year. Also, Haitians in diaspora return home to celebrate with their families.
Though, Haiti is now a shadow of itself — owing to the heavily disastrous earthquake that wrecked the country in 2010, and all the social-economic/political chaos that have ravaged it ever since then. But it could still be hoped that the oncoming Christmas would be, as always, one of the most beautiful pages in the Haitian’s book of record.