Following The Equator: Voyages of Equinox: Hello 2010!

Friday, January 1, 2010

Hello 2010!

The start of our evening: dinner at The Abaco Beach Resort

Happy New Year!! We had a GREAT time last night, from a fabulous dinner at the Angler's Restaurant here, to an after-dinner party at Snappa's a short walk away. The party was complete with live music, fireworks and Junkanoo Rush -- all a very fun time!! There was a large table of older folks there who were apparently amazed by the the four of us...one of their group came over to ask the girls how old they were, (guesses ranged from 22 to 28!), if I was their mother, and ... how old I was!! I didn't lie, either...although the guy said the oldest guess was 42! (Thank you...) Yes, the girls did look amazing in their matching/contrasting color outfits, and we were dancing up a storm, so of course people took notice!

Dancing the night away

Ready to ring in the New Year!

Then, there was their Junkanoo Rush...right through the restaurant and out into the street, we were all dancing to the beat! For those who don't know, the Bahamian festival of Junkanoo began when slaves, given three days of freedom at Christmas, donned costumes and masks and traveled from house to house to celebrate. Traditionally held on Dec. 26th and again on New Year's Day, Junkanoo has evolved into an energetic, colorful parade of bright, elaborately costumed people dancing and gyrating to the rhythmic accompaniment of cowbells, goatskin drums and whistles. The Junkanoo costumes are constructed of cardboard, aluminum rods, crepe paper, chicken wire, bright paint, sequins, glitter and glue, representing anything from sea creatures to dragons and bats. The participants are actually competitors, to see which group has the best costume and best music. By the time the party is out in the street, people are passing the head-dresses around and everyone is welcome to join in!