In forging ideas for a Christmas concert here in Y, this (^) was one of the song titles I came up with, and I've been trying to convince them all that it'll be hilarious to do. I finally gathered a smattering of students after school yesterday and we compiled such an alternate list to the traditional Christmas carol. Towards the end, they seemed to catch on and find a little of the humour. Anyway, as I facilitated them with their list, I thought if I were to make my own 12 Rupununi Days of Christmas, what would they entail? So, for yours and my viewing pleasure only, I thought I'd put them in a blog.
So, check this list out and look for an upcoming "video" with pictures to accompany the list:
The 12 Rupununi Days of Christmas
a parrot in a cashew tree:
Cashew trees, with the cashew fruit and nut, are quite popular here, one of their seasons is during Christmas time. The rains that come around this time, which are post-rainy season, are called "Cashew rains" because they usually result in the trees blossoming with cashews, as they did this year. I don't really like the cashew fruit much. It makes my mouth go dry and I want to cough, but I can't because my mouth's full of juice. The cashew nut is at the bottom of the fruit and MUST be roasted before eaten, otherwise the acid in the fruit will cause whatever it touches to erupt in blisters and a rash. Parrots and macaws are quite normal around here.
2 bags farine:
Farine is a main staple of food here; made from the cassava root. It's eaten with stews, boiled into porridge for breakfast and eaten as shebay, with water and sugar. Families make enough for themselves, but also can make bagfuls to sell. I'm lucky enough to get most of my farine free.
3 lukanani:
lukanani, or peacock bass, is a major fish found in these waters. It's a scale fish and known for the eye-like dot on it's tail.
4 bowls of cari:
Cari, or kari, is the fermented beverage made from cassava. In the past, it was chewed into a pulp then left for ferment, now, it's grated. Serving it in cups, mugs, calabash (dried gourds cut into cups/bowls) or bowls big and small are the methods of drinking it.
5 motobikes:
Motorbikes (prononced "moto-bikes") are the main form of transp here. I've come to recognize the different bikes by sound. Peace Corps, at this time, does not allow us to ride on them, this will hopefully change soon.
6 hammocks swinging:
Hammocks, the bed and lounge item of champions. I don't think i'll ever be able to live without one in the future.
7 caiman swimming:
The black caiman, melanosuchus niger, is the biggest species of crocodile in the world and populates Guyana. The village I live in has a special study of the caiman that I've been fortunate to go on.
8 limers liming:
To "lime" is a term that came from sailors who would develop scurvy and the treatment of choice was to eat limes. SO when sailors would come to shore, people would avoid them, muttering "look at those limers liming about..." it stuck and now means to hang around, or loiter.
9 students reading:
I'm the Head Librarian of Y Public Library, seeing students reading is quite a wondrous feeling.
10 forro dancers:
Forro, a form of dance from Northern Brazil. Brazilians are quite sexy. It's fun to try.
11 dogs a-biting:
Dogs are all over. Barking loud, fighting over spoiled scraps... The two of the best-cared for dogs in the village, Caiman House's dogs, are Aeneas and Sally.
12 creatures crawling:
SELF EXPLANITORY.
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