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Jukanoo is a festival which takes place in Bahamas islands. Bahamas is famous for its festivals, pristine blue water, snorkeling, fishes, crabs and coconut. Bahamas is also known as the ‘Tropical Paradise' of the world.
In Bahamas, Jukanoo is celebrated as a national festival. The origin of Jukanoo is obscure. It is seems that the festival started in the 16th and 17th centuries. The people who were taken to the West Indies as slaves started Jukanoo for the first time. They were given a special holiday during the Christmas Celebration. They celebrated the day with African dance, costumes and music. After their liberation, they followed the same trend and enjoyed Jukanoo.
Christmas celebrations in Bahamas would not be complete without Jukanoo bands. Jukanoo begins in the dark hours on December 26. From 2 am it goes until sunrise. The darkness of the night makes people spellbound. On the following week it happens again with another parade and that finishes with the first daylight of New Year. There are so many overhead street lights in Bahamas. These highlight the costumes of the people. People wear colorful costumes designed by various crepe papers.
In Bahamas, troupes like Saxons, Valley boys, Roots are very popular and they all participate in a competition where they have to fight for thousands dollars of prize money. The prize is just a way to motivate the participants but the people who takes part in the competition enjoy a lot as for them the participation in the festival is important,they do not bother for the prize money.
Jukanoo invites all to be a part of it. Jukanoo parades are also held in conjugation with other Bahamas celebrations like Independence Day, Bahamas Boxing Day Jukanoo Parade, Heritage festivals and many others. offers you the latest information on Bahamas celebrations.
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