Engage | Festivals and Events It’s beginning to look a lot like . . . | Did you even know Our trivia column tests your knowledge of the Caribbean’s Christmas traditions By Caribbean Beat | November/December 2020 • Digital Issue 0 Comments Photo by Stephen Smith/Alamy Stock Photo Caribbean Christmas trivia As the year winds down, across the Caribbean we start to prepare for the Christmas season, a celebration of family and friends, full of goodwill, delicious food, and time-honoured customs — even more essential when times are hard. How much do you know about Christmas and Old Year’s traditions across the islands? Test yourself with our quiz — the answers are below! 1. Which Caribbean island is named for a long-ago saint whose December feast day is traditionally marked as a festival of light? St MartinSt KittsSt LuciaSt Vincent 2. Which of these is NOT a common instrument played to accompany parang, Trinidad’s Spanish-language Christmas music? MaracasTrumpetCuatroBox bass 3. Parang is also the name for traditional Christmas music in which of these islands? Puerto RicoCarriacouSint EustatiusMarie-Galante 4. What legume is a staple of Jamaican Christmas cuisine, served stewed? Red beansBlack-eyed peasButter beansGungo peas 5. The Cuban Festival of las Parrandas de Remedios on 24 December centres on which of these? Hot-air balloonsChoral singingBathing in a special riverFireworks 6. In St Vincent and the Grenadines, Christmas season festivities extend across how many mornings? ThreeSevenNineTwelve 7. The traditional Christmas Eve tipple in Haiti is rum flavoured with what spice? NutmegAniseCinnamonCardamom 8. What of the following is a traditional character in Jamaica’s Jonkonnu masquerade? Actor boyRed devilKing of the castleOld Mary 9. St Kitts Sugar Mas, celebrated over Christmas, features masqueraders with headdresses often decorated with which of these? Mountain palm leavesCoconut husksMiniature boatsPeacock feathers Answers: 1 St Lucia; the feast of St Lucy is on 13 December 2 Trumpet 3 Carriacou 4 Gungo peas, known elsewhere as pigeon peas, Congo peas, or gandules 5 Fireworks 6 Nine 7 Anise 8 Actor boy 9 Peacock feathers Related