KINGSTON, Jamaica— Christmas is only a few days away and although we are still in a pandemic and how we now celebrate the holiday has changed, some of our Christmas traditions are, unfortunately on their way out or have already gone entirely.

While new traditions will undoubtedly emerge, over the years some of the Christmas traditions that usually signal that Santa and his reindeers are close by have begun fading to black. 

OBSERVER ONLINE has compiled a list of Jamaican Christmas traditions that used to be popular but have slowly been fading in memory.

Carolling

There’s no doubt Jamaica has its fair share of original Christmas music. But when was the last time anyone saw a group of people go around from house to house singing carols and spreading joy to the world?

White Washing

For many of our parents and grandparents, Christmas time meant grabbing a bucket and getting to work whitewashing tree trunks, sidewalks and even large rocks. Nowadays, except for a few trees in the commercial parts of Kingston and St Andrew, whitewashing at Christmas isn’t something most people do.

Jonkonnu

A tradition that predates Independence, Jonkonnu is one of the oldest forms of dance in Jamaica. The dance, with its host of characters, some with terrifying customs known to scare children, is usually performed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. However, the dance has become more ceremonial, being performed mostly at national celebrations such as Grand Gala.

Natural Christmas Trees

The smell of fresh pine cones still is not enough to convince some people to purchase natural Christmas trees. Most people opt for the artificial tree because it can be reused and therefore cuts holiday spending. 

Christmas Lights/Decorations

Elaborate Christmas decorations with replicas of Santa’s sleigh and snowmen playing are beginning to feel like a thing of the past. There could be several explanations for this, including the price of decorations, the price of electricity or a combination of both. Whatever the reason with the decorations, we are now seeing less pepper lights and decorations nowadays.