Disclaimer: Jamaicans have many many traditions and if I were to truly write all that we do I would fill a book and possibly lose my means of gainful employment. On to the answer with much ado…..
- Jamaicans love to eat rice and peas on a Sunday. It doesn’t matter with what (mostly chicken). Sunday is known as rice and peas day in all Jamaican households. I think maybe it is because rice and peas is a heavy dish and needs nuff sleep to often digest, Sunday being a day of rest. Same applies to Soup on Saturdays. Saturday is notoriously famous as a day when soup ago cook come hell or high water. If you no eat soup, dawg nyam yuh suppa (meaning you will not have dinner to eat).
- Jamaicans do not cook on a Friday. All fast food joints were built for this purpose and just visit Jamaica and you will see how long KFC, Burger King, Wendys, Pizza Hut, Subway, all jerk centres are. Place packed to the limit. We have this mentality that Friday is the day to rest from cooking all week. You don’t eat fast food? Dawg nyam yuh suppa. Alternative: Find a nice Jamaican restaurant or neighbour that you can beg little dinner lol.
- All beaches are full on Public Holidays. It is tradition to hit the beach as soon as it is a holiday.
- Most Jamaican spend weekends sleeping, doing chores or partying.
- On Sunday all churches are full. Jamaicans are very religious by nature and most grew up in the church. Even a gunman can be found with a small pocket-size bible.
- Jamaicans tend to be traditionally late. Hence the saying Jamaica no problem mon. Timing tends to be very relaxed and not very rushed. There is a sense of no urgency when moving about though one can argue that issues such as driving in Jamaica says otherwise. Jamaican businesses may or may not open on time depending on the location. If it’s in the country any timing goes. You might just hear Mass John gone up the road fi come back so him lock up. Jamaican metropolitan areas tend to be the exception to the rule and tend to follow more stringent timing. This is not applicable to all Jamaicans and I think should be applied more on an Island culture basis.
- Jamaicans party every day. There can be a party found every single day of the week for party goers i.e. Hot Mondays, Boasy Tuesdays, Weddy Wednesdays, Chicken Back Thursdays, Dutty Fridaze, Blazay Saturdays and Rundung Sundays just to name a few. Partying is in the Jamaican blood just like taking road trips and nyamming all things jerk til we buss (means when we are full) or die. Which ever comes first.
- Jamaicans addicted to music. This is across the board, whether gospel, reggae, dancehall or whatever genre we inna it. You cannot enter a taxi or go anywhere in Jamaica without hearing music. I think it must have been written into the laws of Jamaica or something. Music and food is life in Jamaica. It is simply in our blood and don’t you forget it. We are a very passionate and expressive people and therefore not afraid to speak our minds:-)
This is all that comes to mind right now. But I will update as any other traditions we have as they come across my mind.
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