Lighting up de cemetery

My kids got excited when ah told them we going to Light-up dey Granny and dey Grampa graves on All Souls Night. But first ah had to explain to them what this All Saints and All Souls is all about. My way out was to tell them that, depending on yoh life-style, after yuh dead yoh spirit either turn ah Bad Jumbie or ah Good Jumbie. Heaven help yuh if is de Bad Jumbie, yoh spirit will never rest and sometimes people will swear dey see yuh Jumbie roaming. Is nuff people ain’t dead yet and dey behaving like Bad Jumbie! {{more}}

All Saints Day is November 1st, that’s the day all de Bad Jumbies loose. The following Day is All Souls that is foh de Good Jumbies, those Spirits never roam, they gone to meet de Lord; so if yoh Dad was ah truly good man and any-body ever say they see his Jumbie, tell dem dey lie, is Satan impostor-in.

Next ah had to explain the whole Candle Light Culture, its sanctity and symbolism. How in ole-then days Candle was the only source of light, it was made from animal fat, mainly the Lamb. Now with Christ being regarded as de Lamb of God and at creation, the first thing de Lord mek was Light, truly added sanctity to Candle light. So ah told them de Candle Light is part of ah Spiritual Culture, and the greatest form ah respect and appreciation that we can show to our departed love-ones, is to Light ah Candle at their grave on All Souls night.

Ah took time out also, to explain the power of the Lighted Candle and its positive role during Sacra-ments. People still believe that ah prayer with Lighted Candle brings great results. Ah popular Appeal is the Candle Light Vigil that is done foh Peaceful means, calling foh an end to Crime, Violence and so on. Pull-ah-trick-hans now-ah-days resorting to Candle Light Marches to protest Corruption, Victim-I-say-shun, and foh change ah Guv-ah-mints. Ah not to sure of the results Candle Light marches bring but NDP seems to have great faith in it. They had ah big Candle Light March and Rally Wednesday night to stop de Cross Country Road and remove the Minister. By great contrast de ULP put on ah Road Block and is the fastest ah ever see ah Guv-ah-mint step down, this is not ah suggestion.



OBEAH WEDDING

And of course Lie-Za knows about using Candle foh another purpose, wuking Obeah and doing Evil. Ah hear her saying time running out and Lie-Owe got to do something before this year done. How somebody tell her bout ah fellar at Enhams who good in this business, she must write down lie-Owe’s name and date ah birth, walk with ah pack ah Red Candles and ah gift, Red foh wedding, Blue Candle to get ah fellar and Yellow if yoh want ah Wuk, Lie-Za say maybe Sean Sutherland with his double Masters in Electrical Eng and Music should carry ah pack ah Yellow Candles go visit this man see if he will get ah Wuk by Vinlec. Of course she didn’t forget Green Candles foh more money, Brown foh ah piece ah land and Grey foh de house, finally Black foh Death! This Obeah man does not charge, cause is ah gift he got from de Lord, but yuh got to carry ah gift preferably ah item from Courts, Singer or Y. De Lima.

After all ah that explanation to de Kids we were on our way to the Cemetery. The place was crowded, noisy and lots ah graves lit-up with Candles and Star-lights, unfortunately there was fire crackers and youngsters blowing Bamboo Joints; this is total disrespect foh our departed Loved ones and ought to be discontinued. The scene was kind ah eerie not I-re, like de kids were uncomfortable and asked if any Bad Jumbie around in de crowd. Same time ah saw Doctor Junior Bacchus and ah thought foh ah while, then ah notice me cousin Theo Browne, who turn fifty + whatever next week, lighting-up his daughter’s grave, so ah know ah wasn’t seeing no Bad Jumbie, cause ole people say “two Bad Jumbie never dey to-get-her”! Theo will Sue me and Junior will give me hell when ah go to check me eyes. Maybe ah need fresh glasses to mek me stop see dem Jumbies.

Big trouble foh me ah couldn’t find my Grand-parents graves, luckily Nina Maloney was there lighting- up her Mom’s grave and ah remember that Mother Maloney and my folks are near-bars in the Cemetery. We lit our Candle and said ah silent prayer of thanksgiving foh the good life they both lived and then we left. On the way home, my six-year-old said to me: “Daddy is there any colour Candle we could use to get plenty KFC and Rik’s Pizza!”



WEDDING IN DE FAMILY

Ah had wedding in me family last Sat-dey. Melanie, my only sister’s only daughter who came down from Canada on ah intern ship ah few years ago, had Robert Banfield of Banfield’s Gas Station running out ah Gas sorry, breath. But love is ah two way street and the running was mutual, no sooner Mel graduated, she was back down to consummate the affair in ah very simple ceremony on Villa Beach. Rev. Cecil Richards did the Blessings, Ken Isles provided beautiful music foh de occasion and Dawn Smith did ah nice brunch.

William Abbott was Bestman/Matchmaker and Timmy, the brother of the Bride broke all traditions and functioned as Maid-of-honour. They tried to hush me up, but way yuh ever hear my fair-foh-it niece getting tied up and me must sit down with me mouth shut? Ah had news foh them, ah talk what ah know and what Mel and Robert didn’t know that ah know. There were two gentlemen present who ah couldn’t recognize; one was Tony Sardine, all dressed in ah long pants that he rented. The other one was his brother-in-law Tony Abbott who was in his 1974 wedding jacket. If my niece only knew ah was going to be so trouble-some she would ah never invited me. Ah pray God’s Blessings on them.

And with that ah gone again.

One Love Bassy.