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Island Lifestyle Living
Island Lifestyle Living
Island Lifestyle Living
Any time of the year would be the best time to visit Nassau Bahamas, but if I were to choose a time it would be during the Christmas holidays. Visiting Nassau Bahamas during the spring and summer seasons is also a great time to travel to the Bahamas to enjoy the marvellous sunlight and our clean-pristine beautiful blue beaches and warm waters. However, you can also do the same during the Christmas holidays as the sun never ceases to shine brightly bringing much warmth for the initial phase of the winter season. The beach and waters are often very cool, calm, relaxing and enjoyable. Temperatures are usually in the high seventies and lower eighties, just about all year round in the Bahamas, with the exception of occasional changes in the weather conditions.
The streets and city life of Nassau is often very busy during the Christmas holidays, especially on Christmas and New Year’s Day when the entire city comes to life and gather Downtown, Bay Street for the celebration of the biggest parades of the year in the Bahamas which are the Christmas and New Year’s Day Junkanoo parade festivals and competitions.
Thousands of residents and tourist alike flocks to Downtown Bay Street in Nassau to attend this event. You have to be at this festival to experience the beat of the goatskin drums in your chest. When I say in your chest, I mean in your chest. For some strange reason when all of the goatskin drums are beating in unison with the blast of the trumpet, the sound and beat is felt in your chest. It is so exhilarating and exciting. The sound of the cowbells, whistles, and brass instruments played together produce a colorful and rich sound that will have you dancing either in your head or in reality, haha.
Junkanoo happens around 2:00 a.m. on the day after Christmas which we call Boxing day and again on New Year’s day also at 2:00 a.m. Hardly anyone sleeps in Nassau during this time as the parade extends into the wee hours of the morning. There are no age limits for persons who attend this event. People who have no transportation will travel on foot for miles just to attend this special event.
Our Home During Christmas
Christmas Day at our home in Nassau, is always exciting for our family and community. Our entire home is always beautifully and carefully decorated by my wife, with at least five Christmas trees or more and other special decorations.
Many homes and street corners in the city are often decked out with beautiful outdoor Christmas lights and decorations. It’s impossible not to sense and get caught up in the joys and excitement of the Christmas season bursting throughout the neighborhood and city. Before you know it, you are caught up in the hustle and bustle of the “Christmas shopping street traffic” but nevertheless, it is still a joy to participate in the attractions and activities that occur in the city leading up to Christmas day.
Preparations for our big family Christmas dinner usually begins on Christmas eve, as we bring in Christmas morning at 12 a.m. with the sound of peaceful Christmas music filling the atmosphere of our home. Our turkey, which is one of our main dishes, is seasoned to perfection by our son and stored in the refrigerator for the seasoning to diffuse throughout the turkey over night. At sunrise Christmas morning, the turkey is placed in the oven to bake for at least two to three hours. We usually include other Bahamian dishes in our Christmas dinner like potato salad, stuffing, macaroni, peas and rice, fish and other traditional Christmas dishes; it’s indeed a feast fit for a king.
What Is Junkanoo?
The major annual Junkanoo festival parade and competition occurs twice annually in the Bahamas along with several minor displays of the festival during special events throughout the year. The two major Junkanoo parades occur on Christmas and New Year’s Day. The Junkanoo festival parade and competition is a colorful and vibrant display of Bahamian artistry through creatively crafted costumes, energetic music and creative movement choreography showcased by hundreds of Bahamian artists and musicians, grouped into several major and minor Junkanoo groups or teams. Each Junkanoo group is tasked with coming up with a creative theme or story line which they bring to life on the streets of Downtown Nassau before trained judges and a vast crowd of onlookers in the audience who cheer them on and join in with movement to the pulsating sound of the goat skin drums and other instruments as the groups travel down Bay Street. Each group performs at their best in hopes of winning first place in the Junkanoo parade competition and in the eyes of their faithful supporters and fans.
The term Junkanoo originated from slave man and tribal African chief, “John Canoe”.
The parade was originally celebrated by slaves as an expression and symbol of their deliverance and freedom from captivity. The festival was established in the 17th Century in the Bahamas by our descendants who were slaves living on a plantation in the Bahamas. The Junkanoo festival has always been greatly valued by the Bahamian people and enjoyed by many tourists annually in the Bahamas. It is one of the longest standing annual tradition and highlight of the year in the Bahamas that never seems to get old. It is always greatly anticipated by the Bahamian people and many tourists travel from near and far to partake of beautiful sights and sounds of the event.
The global covid 19 pandemic was the only event in history that brought the Junkanoo festival to a hault for about two years, but in March of 2022, the Junkanoo festival returned in style as a special treat for the royal Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge who visited Nassau, Bahamas. The festival took off from there to a fresh new start.
Places To Stay In Nassau
If you are planning to make a trip to Nassau, Bahamas very soon, why not consider staying in an Airbnb on your next visit? The experience of an Airbnb is much different from that of a hotel. While both are great options for temporary accommodations, an Airbnb will provide you with more freedom, flexibility and perhaps an opportunity for a longer and more comfortable stay.An Airbnb is like a home away from home. Additionally, an Airbnb will provide you with the opportunity to engage more closely with and experience first hand the culture and people of the country you are visiting, with added opportunities to explore the unknown territory of the land, which will undoubtedly make your trip even more enjoyable and adventurous.
The Airbnb industry is fast becoming the number one choice for consideration for accommodations globally.
Let us save you the hassle of spending endless hours searching the internet for the right Airbnb for your stay in Nassau Bahamas. a safe and cozy. Consider staying at our Island Lifestyle Living Guest House, attached to our main home and situated in the heart of the city, in a secured 24-hour security gated community, surrounded by water, where you will get experience both the culture and friendly people of the Bahamas, first hand. Come and see why we call our Airbnb, your “home away from home”. Click here to book your next stay with us when visiting Nassau, Bahamas.
Click here to learn more about the Island Lifestyle Living Airbnb.
In Conclusion
In my opinion, the Christmas season is one of the best times to visit Nassau Bahamas and so are the spring and summer seasons. Any time is a good time to visit Nassau, Bahamas but the Christmas season is a plus because you will have an opportunity to experience with us the famous Junkanoo festival parade and competition. So don’t waste another moment contemplating your decision to visit the sunny isles of Nassau, Bahamas. Come and experience not just the beautiful sun, sand and sea but also the love and rich heritage of the warm Bahamian people.
Discounts, Guides & More
Discounts, Guides & More
Island Lifestyle Living
Airbnb located in Nassau, The Bahamas
“Your Home Away From Home”
- Copyright © 2023
Island Lifestyle Living
Airbnb located in Nassau, The Bahamas
“Your Home Away From Home”
- Copyright © 2023