Since
the Junkanoo Parade is
held only twice a year, most visitors to the Bahamas never see the celebration.
But
you can still experience the sights and colors of Junkanoo
at Nassau's Junkanoo Expo Museum on Prince George Wharf.
Open daily, the admission is US$2 for adults, 50 cents for children under
12 years. The
museum contains winning floats from recent festivals.
In addition, many hotels on New Providence Island and
Grand Bahama Island have started exhibiting Junkanoo costumes as part
of their main lobby and hallway decor.
Yet
these hollow shells are only a taste of the exuberant celebration
itself, a ghostly mirror of the Junkanoo spirit that exists only when
the lively revelers themselves are present and parading in full costume,
accompanied by their distinctive musical sound that vibrates with overtones
of pandemonium.
Junkanoo
is reason enough to be in the Bahamas during the Christmas or New Year's
holidays.
|