Jamaican Easter Tradition

      For those who do not know about the Jamaican Easter, it is not really like the Americanized version of
Easter Bunnies and eggs.  Being a predominantly a Christian country, we recognize the importance of the period in that Christ's Crucifixion is remembered.  Some go as far as designing their church programme to help our younger children have a visual understanding of the significance of the Easter Celebrations.
   
      Annually, this celebration is accompanied my the eating of bun and cheese along with the playful activity of kite flying.  Each year the bakeries, both established and private, put out a huge spread of beautifully packaged buns.  This buns are usually filled with raisins and fruits (cherries) with a magnificent glaze coated to attract even the religious skeptic to pay the extra cash to partake of the sweet tongue jerker of a pastry cocktail. However this is not complete without the lovely cheese!
   
      The cheese play a vital role with the bun.  The combination is like honey and milk in heaven.  Just simply divine! The combination should not be taken without drinks and most of all, one should be seated to enjoy this delight.  It is best eaten on the outside when the Easter breeze blows.  It makes the perfect setting for the true Jamaican Easter holidays.

   
     As for the Easter breeze, that is never wasted.  Annually , as soon as the month of March turns the corner, the kite makers, both professional and amateur commence their construction of kites of various colours and sizes.   The Jamaican kites are always impressive and due to the creativity, these kite makers have a chance to show off their skills in the annual kite flying competition.
   

      There are no age limits to the kite flyers in Jamaica.  The eager young ones are always anxious in displaying their designs.  The aging "big-kids" are more interested in the ingenuity of their  paper aircraft.  In-other-words, there are no age limits nor social barriers for the kite flyers on this special time of year.  As for those who have no interests in the public showing, the kite flyers make their way to various community centers and playing fields to hoist their kites in the air.  One cannot help but to hear the zingers on the kites and due to the pitch, one can have an idea of the size kites in the sky.  Sometimes in the dead of night the zinger from a large kite can be heard in the dark skies.   This usually becomes a topic of nocturnal conversation especially for the senior men of the house-holds and corner shops.
 
     It is an amazing sight to see the Jamaican skies and dinner tables at Easter time.  It is certainly a treat both in the stomach and in the Caribbean blue skies.  Its one thing that is clear, this tradition will not die for it is an occasion other than Christmas that our Jamaican families come together and have some good fun in the season of Easter.