UNDERWAYJON^
KELL
ERI
woke in the pre-dawn darkness. I
stood in my bunk and pulled myself
up through the hatch. The lights
of New Plymouth, on Green Turtle Cay,
Bahamas, glimmered across the water.
The steady beat of drums rolled over the
water, the sound hard and close, a deep
heartbeat rhythm. I crouched on the fore-
deck, then sat cross-legged and listened.
The Sea of Abaco surrounded me, flat
calm in the starlight. The drumming grew
louder, until finally it felt as though the
drums themselves must be afloat. Then I
saw shadowed movement, and I watched
as a small band of drummers moved along
the dark shoreline road, pounding out
their annual rhythms.Junkanoo. New Year’s Day. New
Plymouth. Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas.
Call it a festival with somewhat mys-
terious origins. Theories abound. Some
say its roots harken back to Africa, to a
Ghana king named John Canoe; some
say it goes back to the days of slavery
when the slaves donned ornate costumes
as they danced from home to home,
hidden behind their masks; or it’s both,
and more: a mishmash of celebrations
drawn—like the people themselves—
from across oceans.
On Green Turtle, Junkanoo is the one
day that this sleepy island town bursts with
food and music and dance, bright, colors
and elaborate costumes. Island ferries
carry loads of revelers, cruisers gather and
anchor, tourists find lodging, eateries stock-
pile food and booze, and the dancers, after
many months of practice and costume
preparation, begin to dance.JUNKANOO
While the largest and most popular Junkanoo parade occurs in Nassau, the
colorful, festive street carnival happens throughout the Bahamas’ out islands as
well, and is quite the spectacle for locals and visitors alike.SHARE THE
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