The only kind of snow in Guyana is in a cone with a sweet syrup poured on top. But that doesn’t stop the Guyanese from donning Santa hats and placing cut-out reindeer on their porches. It’s time to party! Ninety-five degree heat has nothing on the Guyanese desire for a festive Christmas season. Below is a sampling of what I saw last week in Guyana.
Welcome to Georgetown
No one can miss this giant tree on the road to Georgetown from the airport. I enjoyed the irony of fake evergreen trees in a country that is already green twelve months out of the year.
Roving music man. US$1 per pirated CD.
Roving music men sell a variety of Christmas CDs including tracks such as a calypso “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.” All CDs are pirated, of course.
Party on Main Street.
There will be a big lime (hangout/drinking party) on Main Street the day after Christmas. My cab driver told me it would be the biggest street party of the year.
Staying chilly on a hot roof.
Jesus was a carpenter, after all.
A Taliban Christmas cheer.
The festive Christmas atmosphere, drawn from the secular aspects of the holiday, spans across all religions in Guyana –Muslims and Hindus included. A Muslim woman, her head wrapped in a shawl, wished me a great Christmas when I bought her avocados at the market. The driver of the above car in Parika, who had detailed his car with the word Taliban, had also hung a “Merry Christmas” bow on his grill. In Guyana, even a follower of religious extremism does not want to be left out of the party. Now that’s the Christmas spirit.
Nothing to say or add, I just really liked this part and thought it bore repeating.
Thanks, and very merry Christmas.
omg…i remeber when i use to go to main big lime…omg…i miss dat sooo much…..but i will soon be back….just cant wait