It's Christmas in Jamaica, Mon!

Who missed the trip this weekend? I got a little overwhelmed with decorating and engagement parties and sewing and ...well, you get the picture! But I've restocked my backpack and have my traveling clothes on so let's get moving!

We've pretty much wrapped up Central and South America so I thought maybe on our way to Europe we would take a little stop over in Jamaica to get one more shot at warm weather. Welcome to the island!

In Jamaica it is tradition to paint your home and decorate with new curtains (talk about taking the decorating seriously!). Because of the African influence in the Carribean there is a tremendous shift in the celebration style. There are elaborate parades of revelers called Jonkanoo (John Canoe) during which revelers don elaborate masks and dance their ways through the streets.

Another part of the holiday season is Grand Market. As I read up on this I could only picture a flea market of fireworks, crafts, and food mashed together with a street carnival of dancing and music. Definitely sounds like fun to me!! Can you almost hear the steel drums now?

And let's not forget the food! The feast of Christmas is laden with chicken, oxtail, ackee, saltfish, fried plantains, curried goat, ham rice and gango peas (just for starters). The most interesting item on the menu for me was the Sorrel and Rum punch. Made with sorrel, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, sugar orange peel and rum, it certainly sounds like something that would make all the parties a little more interesting!

So there you have it! Another stop on our way around the world. And what a stop! The music the dancing, the parade - it's certainly a fun way to head off to Europe.

This afternoon I hope to land in that wonderful Emerald Isle we know as Ireland. Be sure you stop back and enjoy a pint with us.

Grab your GORP! We're Headed Further South!

It did a funky snow, sleet, rain thing here today while the sun was shining and I decided that I'm going to stay on my tour of Christmas Around the World as long as I can! And because of all that nastiness I'm going to head a little further south - to Costa Rica!

**The info I am about to share comes from Michael Smith by way of the Cocori (Complete Costa Rica) site.**

This was a really fun article to read! And the stuff I learned! Just wait until I get to the part about New Years!

How many of you have your tree up? And I am absolutely sure you used a cypress branch and painted it white right? How neat is that! They decorate them with bright paper and mini lights (talk about easy decorating!) and under them they place their portal - Nativity. According to Smith every year they add to and elaborate on their Nativity to make it grander and more impressive until it can actually out grow the space under the tree. One site (and I've lost it now) noted that people actually tour from home to home to admire los portales much like we would for the lights.

And one more thing before I move on - if you don't own your home, you use a portal that has been given to you in faith that the portal will bring you a home of your own. Now THAT is a gift!

Then you have the topes. Originally a procession of horses that were used to cut prize bulls out for the bull fights, the tope has evolved into a full blown parade much like I think of Carnival. Still with plenty of horses and proud owners and riders, but expanded with floats, brightly painted carriages and ox carts and even clowns and bands.

And what would a Latin American celebration be without a bullfight? Maybe I slept through too much history but when I think bullfight I think of Spain before I think of Central America so this was a new one to me. Part of the fight is (and forgive me as I laugh at men!) a swarm of men who rush the bull and scare him into fighting. Wait for the other shoe now! They don't harm the bull but the men get their tails kicked!

Now here is a tradition that I am all in favor of the U.S. adopting. There is a manadory Christmas bonus distributed to all laborers with a national lottery drawn on Christmas! And it's not just a bonus - it is a full months wages!

Like Mexico, Costa Rica celebrates on January 6th to close the holiday season. It is a more solemn event with family and friends gathering to pray and take down the portal. Then they have a formal meal together to close the season.

Before some one calls me on it - I didn't miss New Years! It is a custom for the women in Costa Rica to sweep their ENTIRE homes on New Year's Day. They start in the back and sweep to the front to get all the dust and dirt of the year out. It is symbolic of starting new and is intended to bring good luck in the coming year.

It gives a whole new twist to your spring cleaning doesn't it? So there you have it! Christmas in Costa Rica! So pass the tamales and the super spiked eggnog (rompope)! Feliz Navidad!