Traditions of Nassau
The capital of The Bahamas, where Junkanoo rushes through the streets on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Nassau is a Caribbean port on New Providence island. Junkanoo is the Bahamas' great festival, a dawn parade on 26 December and 1 January in which groups in elaborate costume of crepe paper, accompanied by cowbells, goat-skin drums and horns, compete for prizes. The festival has roots in the African heritage.
Junkanoo
Groups spend months building costumes of cardboard and crepe paper, in themes. The parade begins at 2 a.m. along Bay Street, and the rhythm is made by cowbells, whistles, brass and drums, called rush. The origin is traced to enslaved people's days off at Christmas. Emancipation Day in August is another celebration.
At the table
Cracked conch, fried conch in batter, conch salad with lime, and peas 'n' rice are the staples. Guava duff, a boiled pudding with rum sauce, is a favourite dessert. Johnnycake, a thick bread, is served at breakfast. Sky juice, coconut water with gin and condensed milk, is the drink.
Signature traditions of Nassau
Also part of it, and being written: Conch fritter (The dish.), Guava duff (The dessert.).
A trail idea for Nassau
- Arawak Cay Eat conch.
- Straw Market Buy plaited work.
- Fort Charlotte See the fort.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Nothing matches those filters yet. Take one off, or check back: new traditions are written every day.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Junkanoo: WikiPedant, CC BY-SA 4.0, source