Christmas is the time of year in the Bahamas when most
people look forward to a very colorful and rhythmic event: Junkanoo. "It
is believed that this festival began 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. For many, Christmas celebrations in The
Bahamas would not be complete without Junkanoo bands "rushing" in
the streets. The Junkanoo preparation season can be very long and stressful,
lasting three to six months. The long tedious hours of Junkanoo costume
preparation can run late into the nights and early hours of the morning. The
costume builders pack the Junkanoo houses to cut and paste delicate paper and
fabric on cardboard or other materials. The Junkanoo bands, with their goat
skin drums, cow bells, and wind instruments, spend long hours in practicing
and perfecting their unique "rushing sounds." Unfortunately,
Junkanoo time is not always a happy time in many homes. Why? It is a time when
many Junkanoo artists spend unusually long hours outside of the home.
- THE PAINFUL TRUTH
- During the Junkanoo season many spouses/romantic
partners go into what I call
"Junkanoo Hibernation." This is the time when Junkanoo
preparation becomes more important than martial relationships. It can
last up to six months before the Junkanoo festival.
-
- Many Junkanoo workers ignore their family and marital responsibilities
leaving their spouses vulnerable to face the pain of rejection. Too many
relationships go sour during the Junkanoo season. Too many spouses,
while spending unusually long hours away from home develop adulterous
relationships. They are introduced to drugs, alcohol and promiscuous
behaviors. While the startling, flamboyant colors of Junkanoo may
mesmerize the mind under the street lights of romantic Bay Street, they
may often reveal the dark secrets of immoral behavior and marital
dissolutions. Many tears are shed during the Junkanoo season.
The clanging of the cow bells and the beating of goat skin
drums may sound a pleasant call to the eager ears of thousands of Junkanoo
lovers. To many spouses though, each drum beat pounds deep into the heart the
pain of loneliness, rejection and feelings of worthlessness. Why do so many
Junkanoo lovers allow their passion to take control of their lives so
negatively?
- NOT ONLY JUNKANOO IS GUILTY
- The truth is that not only Junkanoo is to blame for such behavior. The
problem of priority setting is a giant issue in many relationships and
in all careers. It is even more prevalent among mangers and presidents
of large companies, police and military officers, politicians, pastors,
and community leaders. Defining what is important to you is crucial in
life. More so, it is imperative that each spouse understands what are
the needs of his or her spouse and diligently learn how to meet those
needs.
We often forget that family relationships are eternal, but
careers are only seasonal. When one spouse says "honey could we spend
more time together," that’s the ringing of the alarm that can only be
shut off by the responding spouse. If the alarm is ignored, the battery power
of the marriage will get weaker and weaker. One day the Junkanoo lover or the
community leader will come home and meet the house empty without the slightest
clue why it is so. Why did the spouse not hear the alarm? Because his ears
were only in tune with his passion, Junkanoo, pastoring, protecting the
nation, etc.
- WHAT IS YOUR PASSION?
- What is your passion? We all have passions. The passion that has the
greatest effect on your life is the one that will control you. I appeal
to Junkanoo lovers not to allow the passion of Junkanoo to control you,
but to keep focus on what is really important: relationship with people.
Junkanoo preparation may last three months, but Junkanoo events are only
for a few hours and the costumes are melted away by the heat and sweat
of energized dancers. Junkanoo costumes are not made to last a lifetime.
Therefore, it is imperative to have the greatest passion for what can
last a lifetime: loving relationships. May the cow bells of Junkanoo
ring a celebration of warm, loving relationships rather than the
distorted sounds of miserable, painful marriages.
