Caribbean
2
The Bahamas.
The Bahamas.
Culture:
The Bahamian culture is primarily of European, African, and Native Bahamian origin.
In the less developed outer islands (or Family Islands), handicrafts include basketry made from palm fronds. This material, commonly called "straw", is plaited into hats and bags that are popular tourist items. Another use is for so-called "Voodoo dolls", even though such dolls are the result of the American imagination and not based on historic fact.[63]
A form of folk magic (obeah) is practiced by some Bahamians, mostly the Haitian-Bahamian community, mainly in the Family Islands (out-islands) of The Bahamas.[64] The practice of obeah is illegal in the Bahamas and punishable by law.[65]
Junkanoo is a traditional Bahamian street parade of music, dance, and art held in Nassau (and a few other settlements) every Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Junkanoo is also used to celebrate other holidays and events such as Emancipation Day.
Regattas are important social events in many family island settlements. They usually feature one or more days of sailing by old-fashioned work boats, as well as an onshore festival.
Many dishes are associated with Bahamian cuisine, which reflects Caribbean, African and European influences. Some settlements have festivals associated with the traditional crop or food of that area, such as the "Pineapple Fest" in Gregory Town, Eleuthera, or the "Crab Fest" on Andros. Other significant traditions include story telling.
Bahamians have created a rich literature of poetry, short stories, plays, and short fictional works. Common themes in these works are (1) an awareness of change, (2) a striving for sophistication, (3) a search for identity, (4) nostalgia for the old ways, and (5) an appreciation of beauty. Some contributing writers are Susan Wallace, Percival Miller, Robert Johnson, Raymond Brown, O.M. Smith, William Johnson, Eddie Minnis, and Winston Saunders.[66][67]
Bahamas culture is rich with beliefs, traditions, folklore and legend. The most well-known folklore and legends in Bahamas includes Lusca in Andros Bahamas, Pretty Molly on Exuma Bahamas, The Chickcharnies of Andro Bahamas, and the Lost City of Atlantis on Bimini Bahamas.
Cuisine:
Bahamian Cuisine refers to the foods and beverages of the Bahamas. It includes seafood such as fish, shellfish, lobster, crab, and conch,[1] as well as tropical fruits, rice, peas, pigeon peas, potatoes, and pork. Popular seasonings commonly used in dishes include chilies (hot pepper), lime, cilantro, tomatoes, onions, garlic, allspice, cinnamon, rum, and coconut.[1] Rum-based beverages are popular on the island.[2] Since the Bahamas consist of a multitude of islands, notable culinary variations exist.
Bahamian cooking has been somewhat influenced by the American South.[3] A large portion of Bahamian foodstuffs are imported (cf. economy of the Bahamas).[3] International cuisine is offered, especially at international hotels.[3]
Many specialty dishes are available at roadside stands, beach side, and in fine dining establishments. In contrast to the offerings in the city of Nassau and in the many hotels, "shack" type restaurants (including Goldies and Twin Brothers) are located at Arawak Cay on West Bay Street about 15 minutes from downtown Nassau and 25 minutes from Atlantis Paradise Island resort.[2] Travellers Rest Restaurant, in Nassau, is known for serving authentic "local" foods.
Bahamian cuisine is showcased at many large festivals, including Independence Day (Bahamas) on July 10 (during which inhabitants prepare special dishes like guava duff), Fox Hill Day (second Tuesday in August), and Emancipation Day. Some settlements have festivals associated with the traditional crop or food of that area, such as the Pineapple Fest in Gregory Town, Eleuthera. They also eat boiled mashed plantains, known locally as crushed bananas.
Bahamian traditions and food have been exported to other countries with emigrants.[5] Coconut Grove, Florida celebrates the Goombay Festival in June, transforming the area's Grand Avenue into a Carnival (Caribbean Carnival) in celebration of Bahamian culture, Bahamian food and music (Junkanoo and 'Rake'N'Scrape'[6]).[7] Fantasy Fest in Key West, Florida includes a two-day street party known as Goombay held in Key West's Bahama Village neighborhood.[5] It is named after the goombay goatskin drums that generate the party's rhythms and held in celebration of the heritage of Key West's large Bahamian population with food, art, and dancing.
Music:
The music of the Bahamas is associated primarily with junkanoo, a celebration which occurs on Boxing Day and again on New Year's Day. Parades and other celebrations mark the ceremony. Groups like The Baha Men, Ronnie Butler and Kirkland Bodie have gained massive popularity in Japan, the United States and other places. Other popular bahamian artists include Stileet and Stevie S. They also play reggae, ska, and dancehall.
Ethnic Racial Composition:
* 82% Black
* 15% White & Mulatto
* 3% Asian and Greeks
Languages:
The official language of The Bahamas is English and is spoken by everybody. They however, also speak with their own dialect in informal situations, it is locally known simply as "Dialect" or Bahamian Creole or Dialect. The origins of Bahamian dialect/Creole is Southern Irish English (Hiberno English) and West Country English (west england) dialects with influences from West African languages. One should take note that the Bahamian dialect sounds very similar to Gullah/Geechee Creole English from the sea islands of Georgia, NE Florida, and South Coralina, Unites States, the more north you go in The Bahamas the more AAVE the Bahamians speak while the more south you go among the islands the more typical Caribbean English the accents sound.
Religion:
The islands are predominantly Christian, with Baptists representing 35.4% of the population, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%,[5] other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2%[61] The "other" category includes Jews, Muslims, Baha'is, Hindus, Rastafarians, and practitioners of Obeah.
Sports:
Sport is a significant part of Bahamian culture. The national sport is sloop sailing[68] where Durward Knowles and Sloan Farrington picked up the first Olympic medal (bronze) for the Bahamas at the 1956 Summer Olympics. Durward Knowles also captured the country's first Olympic Gold medal along with Cecil Cooke during the 1964 Summer Olympics in sailing.[69]
The most popular spectator sports are those imported from United States such as basketball,[70] American football[71] and baseball[72] rather than Great Britain due to the country's close proximity to the United States. Unlike their other Caribbean counterparts where cricket has proven to be more popular. Cricket has been played in the Bahamas from 1846.[73] It is the oldest sport being played in the country today. The only other sporting event that began before cricket was horse racing, which started in 1796. The Bahamas Cricket Association was formed in 1936 as an organised body. From the 1940s to the 1970s, cricket was played amongst many Bahamians. Bahamas is not a part of the West Indies Board, so players are not eligible to play for the West Indies cricket team. The late 1970s saw the game begin to decline in the country as teachers, who had previously come from the United Kingdom with a passion for cricket were replaced by teachers who had been trained in the United States. The Bahamian Physical education teachers had no knowledge of the game and instead taught track & field, basketball, baseball, softball,[74] volleyball[75] and soccer[76] where primary and high schools compete against each other. Today cricket is still enjoyed by a few locals and immigrants in the country usually from Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti and Barbados. Cricket is played on Saturdays and Sundays at Windsor Park and Haynes Oval.
Dexter Cambridge, Rick Fox and Ian Lockhart are a few Bahamians who joined Bahamian Mychal Thompson of the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA ranks.[77] Over the years American football has become much more popular than association football, though not implemented in the high school system yet. Leagues for teens and adults have been developed by the Bahamas American Football Federation.[78] However association football, commonly known as soccer in the country, is still a very popular sport amongst high school students. Leagues are governed by the Bahamas Football Association. Recently the Bahamian government has been working closely with the Tottenham Hotspur F.C. to promote the sport in the country as well as promoting the Bahamas in the European market. In 2013 the Spurs became the first Premier League club to play an exhibition match in the Bahamas to face the Jamaica national football team. Joe Lewis the owner of the Tottenham Hotspur club is based in the Bahamas.[79]
Other popular sports are swimming,[80] tennis[81] and boxing[82] where Bahamians have enjoyed some level of success at the international level. Other sports such as golf,[83] rugby league,[84] rugby union[85] and beach soccer[86] are considered growing sports. Athletics commonly known as track and field in the country is the most successful sport by far amongst Bahamians. Bahamians have a strong tradition in the sprints and jumps. Track and field is probably the most popular spectator sport in the country next to basketball due to their success over the years.
Bahamians have gone on to win numerous track and field medals at The Olympic Games, IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Commonwealth Games and Pan American Games. Frank Rutherford is the first athletics olympic medalist for the country. He won a bronze medal for triple jump during the 1992 Summer Olympics.[87] Pauline Davis-Thompson, Debbie Ferguson, Chandra Sturrup, Savatheda Fynes and Eldece Clarke-Lewis teamed up for the first athletics Olympic Gold medal for the country when they won the 4x100m relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics. They are affectionately known as the "Golden Girls".[88] Tonique Williams-Darling became the first athletics individual Olympic gold medalist when she won the 400m sprint in 2004 Summer Olympics.
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Originally Posted by Caribbean Islander
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