AFTER a two-year hiatus the 13th edition of the Jamaica Dance Umbrella (JDU) will run from Thursday, March 2 to Sunday, March 5 at the Philip Sherlock Centre at The University of the West Indies, .
The celebration of Christmas in Jamaica is said to date back to the 17th century during enslavement. Plantation work would cease from Christmas Eve until Boxing Day and it was a time of great jubilation for the enslaved. Celebration among the population would be marked by huge all-night dances, with costumed masqueraders and drumming.
These celebrations became known as Jonkonnu, one of Jamaica’s oldest holiday traditions. But although the practice is still retained in some rural areas, Jonkonnu celebrations are not as prevalent as they once were. In fact, today’s Christmas festivities have become so commercialised that the season has become more known for European carols, Christmas lights, decorations and Santa Claus.