Holiday Calendar for Jamaica

Jamaica is an island situated in the Caribbean which basks in a warm climate all year round, maxing out at 33 °C in the summer months. Jamaica holidays are so varied...

Every country has Christmas traditions which are passed down through the ages and in Jamaica, it is no different. Within a Christmas week householders go through every ‘crevice and corner’, rooting out all the unnecessary possessions that have accumulated during the year. Some customs have connections with slavery and others have developed along the way, in keeping with the changing times.
Jamaica is an island full of folklore, magic, and spirituality, with a rich culture of traditions, customs, and rituals, many of them religious in origin (although by no means all).
Jamaican traditions and customs: decorated maracas Hand-clapping and percussion are an important part of Jamaican Revivalist ceremonies.
Jamaican culture and folklore is teeming with ghosts, spirits, and duppies.
Kumina is a Jamaican religious ceremony involving music, dance, and spirit possession, and is a way of celebrating and appeasing ancestors.
Obeah is a belief system that is officially outlawed, although nowadays it’s rare for anyone to be convicted for adhering to the practices.
Although many Jamaican death rituals are dying out nowadays, the ‘Nine Nights’ ritual (was traditionally practised to ensure the dead person’s ‘duppy’ did not come back to haunt the living) is still going strong – it’s an extended wake that lasts nine days and traditionally involves music, anecdotes, lots of food, and plenty of rum.