Bahamas Culture
There's no place like the Bahamas. Vibrant art, dance, music and cuisine-it's all here on one of the most gorgeous tropical islands in the world. So let your hair down, and come on down! Our music is a rich gumbo of African, Caribbean Calypso, and English folk. Bahamian Goombay is a storytelling dance with a goom-bahh beat on a goatskin drum. You're probably clapping your hands and tapping your feet right now! With limited resources, African slaves fashioned drums from pork barrels and goatskins, rhythm sticks and bass violins from washtubs and strings, and perhaps most ingenious of all, a metal file scraped on a carpenter's saw. Bahamians still preserve their unique cultural traditions with the lively sounds of rake and scrape and goatskin drums.
Equally unique is our Junkaroo music. Cowbells, drums, horns, and whistles- guaranteed to make you sing, dance and shake. Imagine yourself on a Bahamian street, "rushin" in a parade of brightly attired natives. Purportedly invented by African tribal chief John Canoe, Junkaroo allowed islanders to celebrate their own musical traditions. Since its inception at the 16th and 17th centuries, Junkaroo is now an organized celebration. Up to 1,000 people compete for cash prizes in best music, best costume, best banner, and best group presentations. Junkaroo parades are traditionally celebrated on New Year's, Boxing and Independence Day in addition to the annual Summer Festival and Just Rush competition. Celebrate Junkaroo all seasons of the year. On the islands, every day's a party. And check out our straw markets for handmade hats, baskets, mats, exquisite woodcarvings and delicious guava jellies.
Those interested in medicine and botany will want to study the native "bush medicine," which African slaves brought to the Bahamas. Almost 100 plants are used for medical treatment, including aloe vera, crab bush, fig leaf, sailor's flower and the aromatic white sage.
