
Jamaica Culture: A spicey Island Melting Pot
Jamaica culture is a rich and vibrant blend of traditions from diverse countries, societies, and ethnic groups. Its people are warm and friendly with a little edge and attitude. Its foods are hot and spicey yet tatalizingly tasty. The music is hard and heavy but can hypnotize you with its groovy rhythms. Jamaica culture has a slow and laid back pace that belies the intense spirits and determination of its people.
The shaping of a Culture
Jamaica culture was shaped by its history. From colonization to independence, from slavery to emancipation, every event helped to mould our present culture. Jamaicans are not indigenous to the Island; we are all immigrants. They includes Africans, Europeans, East Indians, Chineses, Arabs, Jews, and persians among others.
These groups came to Jamaica for different reasons and through different circumstances. The English were the colonial masters; the Irish and Germans were plantation managers and imported laborers; the Jews sought religious freedom under the British flag; the Syrians and Lebanese came as merchants and investors; the Chinese and Indians were indenture servants, and the Africans were brought there as slaves.
Despite the various circumstances that brought these diverse ethnic groups and their traditions to Jamaica, they, nonetheless, adopted, embraced, and loved the country as if it were their own. Together they simply and proudly call themselves Jamaicans. Today they all share in one rich cultural heritage - the Jamaica culture - a true melting pot of sort. And our National motto capture the essence of our cultural diversity in "Out of Many, One People".
A Shared common Cultural Heritage
There are several elements to Jamaica culture, the most central of which is the Jamaican people. Every other aspect of our culture - the music, the foods, our religion, and folk culture was influenced by the diverse customs and traditions of our people.
The vibrant Jamaica culture and strong cultural heritage grew out of our shared traditions and way of life. As a people, we collectively did the same things and maintained the same traditions in our daily lives - especially around holidays and seasons, regardless of our race or social class.
Kids growing up on the Island did the same things and had almost identical experiences in everthing from schools, games, foods, music, television, dances, chores, and folk lores among other things.
Our shared experience, deep cultural traditions, and common way of life, transcends ethnic groups, skin colors, social classes, and geography. Together, they bind Jamaicans in such a way, that the mention of anything uniquely Jamaican, will conjure up the same mental images, recall the same memories, and evoke the same feelings in them all. This is what being a Jamaican is all about.
Folk culture
Local stories, songs, and dances are part and parcel of Jamaica culture. Songs and dances, performed mainly during festivals and independence celebrations, are as much stories as they are expressions of the history and struggles of hardworking Jamaicans.
During these celebrations, Jamaicans usually put on their best clothes and indulge in a variety of the traditional music, poetry, and dances. After these traditional activities are over, we usually hit the streets to party and revel at the many streets dances that are competing with each other for their share of the crowd.
Jamaican folklores, preserved through many generations by storytelling is an integral part of Jamaica culture and heritage. These folklores came mainly with the slaves from africa and revolved arould "duppies" or ghosts of all forms.
There is also fabled folk legends such as the well known "Brear Anansi" or "brother Spider" in English, who was full of trickery and deceit and "big boy" who was always naughty. It would be difficult to find a Jamaican adult who was not paralysed by fear as a child after hearing one these "duppy" stories.
Another integral part of Jamaica culture are proverbs and fablels. The Jamaican proverbs were a means for the slaves to communicate between themselves without allowing their masters to understand. Today because their meanings are well known among Jamaicans, they are used as a short and quick way of conveying certain thoughts and feelings without using their long and elaborate English versions.
Religion
Jamaicans are deeply religious and the church is a major part of the Jamaica culture. Although predominantly a Christian country, there is, nevertheless, a diverse number of religions. These include Judaism, Budahism, Hinduism, and Rastafarianism. Of these Rastafarianism deserves special mention because it is an integral part of the Jamaica culture.
Foods
You cannot talk about Jamaica culture without talking about its foods. Its cuisine was shaped by its ethnic diversity, each group contributing something unique and special. It is an eclectic blend of spices, recipies, and styles of cooking, mixed in with the tropical foods, fruits, and flavors of the Island. The result is a tantilizingly tasty treat that is uniquely Jamaican.
music
Last but not least, no discussion of Jamaica or Jamaica culture would be complete without the mention of its major export. No, not our famous herb, I am talking about reggae.
Led by early pioneers like Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, and Peter Tosh reggae captivated listeners with its pulsating beat and driving up-tempo rhythms. Reggae took the world by storm in the mid 1970's and today is as main stream as Jazz, R&B, and Rock & Roll. Outside this island, it is the most well known element of Jamaica culture.
Pardon my language
"kool runnins?", "Everyt'ing irie?" What language do Jamaicans speak anyway? Although English is the offcial language, it is not what they usually used when talking with each others. > So what's do Jamaican speak?