As a holiday gift to each other, we celebrated the New Year in 2005 in Freeport and Port Lucaya on The Grand Bahama Island.The northernmost island in the Bahamas chain, the weather was cool (in the 70’s), but we rested and relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful beach seen. In January the water is, understandably, very cold. We chose instead to enjoy most of time in the hot tubs (as did most at the resort) and reading books by the ocean.
Home to a grand port, we also ventured to Port Lucaya to see the yachts and large boats as they sailed in to gather goods and headed back out to sea to venture on their travels.
The jewel of our trip was Junkanoo, a Bohemian festival to thank the Gods for keeping them safe during the previous year and asking for the Gods’ grace to continue into the upcoming year. Eating street food (conch fritters, black-eyed peas and other treats), locals and visiting tourists line the streets of Freeport to see a parade of locals dressed in beautiful “junk†on New Years’ Day. The costumes are made from only recyclable materials: cardboard, crepe paper, cloth, tin cans; all instruments and costumes are made by hand and are larger than life. The parade lasts for hours. And after singing and dancing through the streets of Freeport for the first round, they all line up for seconds. The festival begins at nightfall and lasts until midnight and beyond.