Culture & Religion
By: London
London Rowe
Language and Accent
In Jamaica, people commonly speak English but they add their own twist to it. Jamaicans that live in Jamaica usually have a very strong accent which makes them say English words differently than Americans or any other country that speaks English. Their local dialect, Patois (Pot-wa), is an energetic language that constantly evolves. Some people refer to the accent as broken English; it is heavily influenced by their African, Spanish, French, and English colonial heritage.
Celebrations
Independence Day
Jamaica was colonized and enslaved by the Spaniards for many, many years and finally gained their freedom on August 6, 1962. The main celebrations of Independence Day take place in the evening at the National Arena in Independence Park. On Independence Day, Jamaicans take part in huge parades, don clothing colored like the Jamaican flag, and put on cultural displays. The overall event is termed "Jamaica Festival". On August 6th, 2022 Jamaica celebrated its 60th year of independence.
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is an annual holiday that happens every December 26th in many countries associated with the British empire. It started as a day to give gifts to the house staff of Britain's upper class but has changed into a sort of shopping holiday on its own. In fact, it is one of the most popular days to return Christmas gifts. The name comes from a time when the wealthy used to box up gifts to give to the poor. Boxing Day was usually a day off for servants; a day when they received a special Christmas box from their masters. The servants would go home on Boxing Day to give boxes to their families.
Emancipation Day
In Jamaica, people would keep watches on July 31, and at midnight church bells would ring and drums would be played in parks and in public to re-enact the first moments of freedom for enslaved Africans. Emancipation Day celebrates the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Jamaica, while Independence Day celebrates Jamaica's political independence from the United Kingdom. An activity Jamaicans would do on Emancipation Day is listen to the official Emancipation Day speeches delivered by government officials, including the prime minister, as well as at many private organizations.
Music
Jamaica has a great history of music with great artists like Bob Marley, Beres Hammond, Sean Paul, and Elephant Man. Jamaica is the founder of the popular style of music, reggae. In the late 1960's, it quickly emerged as the country's dominant sound. By the 1970's, it had become an international style that was extremely popular in Britain, United States, and Africa. It was widely seen as the voice of the oppressed.
History
On May 3, 1494, Christopher Columbus found the island of Jamaica but he did not discover it. Spanish colonists settled the island around fifteen years later; it then fell into British hands in 1655.
The island of Jamaica was first inhabited in approximately 600 AD - 650 AD by the Redware people. By around 800 AD, a second wave of inhabitants was caused by the Arawak tribes,whch also included the Tainos before the arrival of Columbus in 1494.
Christopher Columbus, who first saw the island in 1494, called it Santiago, but the original name of Jamaica, or Xaymaca, has stayed the same. Columbus considered it to be “the fairest isle that eyes have beheld,” and many travelers still think of it as one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean.
Religion
More than 60% of the Jamaica's population is Christian. The island's mixed background means that they have of other religions including Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Rastafarianism. The one abnormal religion in Jamaica is Rastafarianism, which is not very prominent in other countries. Rastafarians believe that Haile Selassie is God and that he will return members of the black community to Africa who are living in exile as the result of colonization and the slave trade. Rastafarian theology was created from the ideas of a man named Marcus Garvey, a political activist who wanted to better the status of his fellow blacks.
Popular Cusine
Jamaica has a lot of amazing food options that are native to its country like jerk chicken, stew chicken, jerk pork and oxtail. There isn't very much to say about these foods other than the fact that they are very delectable and relatively easy to prepare. Jamaica is also home to a very spicy pepper that is used in a lot of hot sauces and dishes called the scotch bonnet pepper.
Jerk Chicken
Jerk Chicken is prepared by first seasoning the chicken, then rubbing it with a jerk sauce, and finally placing it on a grill to let it cook. Preparing it this way will give it its signature spicy and great taste.
Patty
There are many kinds of patty but the most common kinds are beef and chicken patties. They are prepared by first making the outer layer or the crust of the patty with very thin dough and then putting either seasoned ground beef or chicken into the middle and then putting into the oven to let it cook.
Ackee & Saltfish
Ackee and salt fish are commonly seen as the most popular and prominent meal of the island of Jamaica. This meal consists of bell peppers, thyme, ackee, salt fish, scallions, onions, scotch bonnet pepper and sometimes tomato.
Curry Chicken
Curry chicken isn't a food that is native to Jamaica but it is still a very popular meal on the island. Curry chicken is prepared by first mixing the curry powder with water and letting it boil and sit for while the chicken is being prepared and seasoned. The chicken is then placed in the pot and left to simmer and cook through with the curry sauce.