Time to learn everyone! We were lucky to be able to attend a Junkanoo Festival on Elbow Cay. What is a "Junkanoo"? A national festival held in the Bahamas (and other places) which originated during the 16th and 17th centuries. The slaves were given a special holiday at Christmas time, when they could leave the plantations to be with their families and celebrate the holidays with African dance, music and costumes. After emancipation, they continued this tradition and, today, Junkanoo has evolved from its simple origins to a formal, more organized parade with sophisticated, intricate costumes, themed music and incentive prizes. The origin of the word "Junkanoo" is obscure. Some say it comes from the French "L'inconnu" (meaning the unknown), in reference to the masks worn by the paraders; or "junk enoo," the Scottish settlers' reference to the parades, meaning "junk enough;" or "John Canoe," the name of an African tribal chief who demanded the right to celebrate with his people even after being brought to the West Indies in slavery. Today, it exists both as a national holiday with the largest festival being held in Nassau at Christmas but with smaller events held throughout the year mostly for tourists. We loved hearing the music and seeing the costumes!
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