by Arley Salimbi Gill
A conscious nation is a nation that preserves and promotes its culture. This is why we celebrate our norms, our folklore, and our way of life; from our music, our cuisine and our dances, to the way we bury our dead.
Our shared beliefs and values shape our identity and character as a nation. Our traditions and norms form the bedrock of our culture. It is what makes us Grenadians.
Therefore, if we are serious about preserving our culture, we must be vigilant against cultural invasion and cultural imperialism. Today, the world is much smaller because of globalisation and technology. Electronic and social media blur cultural boundaries. For this reason alone, we must become acutely aware of the external forces pushing against our traditions and culture. In this instance, what we consider trends and fads might just be activities and events that are eroding the very essence of who we are as a people.
Over the years, I have observed that schools in Grenada have started to celebrate Halloween. Organisers plan Halloween parties with attendees dressing up in costumes, and stores have started stocking up on Halloween items. However, what really struck me recently was an advertisement I came across for an event sponsored by the Rotaract Club of Grenada.
The advertisement was for a Halloween Movie Night and fundraiser at Quarantine Point on Saturday, 2 November. Honestly, seeing that advertisement, jolted me like a bolt of lightning. I could not believe my eyes.
My simple question is this: Why, as a nation, do we have to deliberately celebrate a cultural tradition that is not ours? A tradition that is foreign to us. A tradition that adds little-to-no value to us as a people. Halloween is simply capitalism and consumerism running amok — and we are falling for it, hook, line, and sinker.
Now, the Rotaract Club of Grenada is a force for good. It is an outstanding organisation with a strong and remarkable record of doing valuable community work. I am sure they have good intentions and may have simply erred, without fully understanding the short- and long-term cultural effects of their otherwise well-intentioned fundraiser.
The truth is, to learn about Halloween, I had to Google its origins. I always knew that it was a day that was widely celebrated in the United States and Canada. Since it is not part of my culture, I never had any real interest in Halloween. From my Google search, I learned that it is an ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain that transitioned from a Pagan festival to a day of parties with costumes. It was believed that the souls of the dead returned to their homes, so people dressed in costumes and lit bonfires to ward off spirits. It is celebrated on 31 October. These are not our myths; ironically, our myths — of La Diablesse, Soucoyant, Ligaroo and so on — we scoff at them, but we celebrate the myths of others.
Slowly, Halloween has been seeping through the cultural fabric of our society. Sadly, there is no established infrastructure to educate our people about the history — good or bad — about outside influences and customs such as Halloween. The foreign customs are allowed to take root in our nation.
Instead, schools and other institutions, and now the Rotaract Club, are actively facilitating this cultural penetration into our society; and for most of us, unless it affects our livelihoods, we pay no attention to it. And I am sure that the people complaining about Jab Jab representing the devil have no problem with Halloween. I am guessing that we are of the view that since we have Thanksgiving Day, it is now time for Halloween.
The Ministry of Culture and the Grenada Cultural Foundation do not appear to be seized by this cultural threat; traditionally, these 2 institutions are preoccupied by the same things they have been doing for years. It may not be their mandate, anyway, to do or say something. However, we are all custodians of our culture, and I am not sure that we are doing a satisfactory job.
The cultural traditions in Grenada are “All Saints” and “All Souls Day”; traditionally celebrated on 1 and 2 November respectively. All Saints Day is a day to remember all our saints and martyrs in Christian history. All Souls Day is to commemorate all of those who have passed away within the faith; it is a religious tradition that includes the cleaning of the cemeteries, lighting of candles on graves, as well as lighting candles on the steps or outside of houses.
It also included the making of asham, and before “real bad men drink rum in a calabash”, the boli was used to make “pray preyam.” As children, we also used empty milk tins to make “pray preyams.” The adults would be the solemn ones remembering and paying respects to the departed saints and souls, whilst the children would go around the village singing, “pray preyam, pray re yam; breadfruit going, yam coming in.” We would be running back-and-forth, swinging our “pray preyam” lanterns. It is only as I have gotten older that I finally understood what we were saying back then. This is all tied to African traditions with the first thunder after All Saints signaling that yam was now ready to eat. In later years, the Grand Bras cemetery in St Andrew had DJ music and it was a big lime — West Indian style.
I am all for cultural diversity, and I understand that Halloween activities may be held in the St George’s University environment, as we have our carnivals in the diaspora. But we must educate our people, especially our children, about our cultural traditions and to say to them what cultural traditions do not belong to us, and refrain from indulging them in what is not theirs. Hollywood is a cultural export factory for the United States and it is used to promote US values and beliefs — it is not as innocent as it seems.
The cemetery cleaning and lighting of candles on graves continue and are very much alive. However, the lighting of candles at homes, the asham-making, and pray pre yam singing— sadly and unfortunately — these traditions are no more.
If you ask today’s youth about this tradition — they will have no idea; although, one can still get asham by Ms Shirley in the booth at the Sauteurs bus terminal, from time to time.
We can do well to embark on an initiative to revive our All Saints and All Souls traditions. What do you say, Rotaract? Can you lead that effort to revive that part of our culture or will you continue to have your Halloween fundraiser parties?
The notion that Halloween is a foreign tradition while simultaneously celebrating All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days reveals a profound (xenophobic, fear mongering) hypocrisy that undermines our understanding of cultural heritage. At its core, Halloween, or Samhain, has deep roots in Celtic traditions, just as All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days draw from similar historical and spiritual origins ( from Celtic tradition).
The celebration of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days may seem distinct in their Christian contexts, yet they emerged in the wake of pre-Christian (pagan) customs that revered the changing seasons and the cycle of life and death. This selective acceptance of traditions, based on their perceived alignment with contemporary values or religious beliefs, is disingenuous.
To criticize Halloween as foreign while embracing its sibling traditions is a double standard that reflects a lack of awareness about our intertwined past and future. Rather than casting aside elements of our heritage, we should celebrate the rich diversity of customs that stem from a shared human journey. It’s time to acknowledge that all these traditions, including Halloween, are part of our collective legacy—an intricate dance of cultural evolution that deserves respect, not dismissal.
Grenada is a melting pot of cultures and races and our traditions will slowly change as time goes by.
It’s not uncommon for organizations or businesses to host events relating to trending themes. It’s the 21st century! Should Grenada also throw away Valentine’s Day, Easter Egg hunts, Christmas caroling, and other popular attractions that are not traditionally Grenadian? If something works, it works. From what I’ve seen their proceeds vastly support community efforts. Perhaps make a noteworthy contribution to the club, or maybe form your own traditional club to help Grenada.
A most poignant and well-written statement.
Education.Education.Historical and Cultural Education is desperately needed to save our identity. Is it that we are mere sponges soaking up other cultures and histories? Do we know the evil that such an event in US history did to African Americans? The religious and cultural history behind this celebration would shock us. The responsibility lies with parents and guardians to educate themselves and their children about our cultural heritage so that we can make positive choices when faced with that of the other. The cultural foreign invasions slowly creeping into our thinking are not for the progressive good of Grenada and Grenadians. Ironically those who import their culture onto us seldom take the time to appreciate or educate themselves about who we are, where we came from and where we are going. Sadly they do not care a damn. Their main concern is money and cultural colonialisation. Truth be told some of them don’t even know where in the world Grenada is, and they do not wish to know.
This is a very appropriate and well-written article. My favourite part is where Arley highlights the inconsistency in the attitude (or zeitgeist) of the Grenadian people regarding the accommodation of home-grown values versus foreign values. I think that it was the late President Jomo Kenyatta who said that in its march toward progress, a nation should hold on to what is good in its own culture and let go of the bad while adopting what is good in the culture of others and forsaking the bad. Needless to say, that would be a very difficult tightrope for any nation to walk. That is why Arley should be commended for his effort at beginning the discourse on the matter of Halloween (vis a vis Jab Jab).
Before bashing the Rotaract Club’s Halloween event, it may be worth reflecting on the positive contributions they consistently made to Grenada since their inception in 1978. Rather than condemning their choice of a trending fundraiser (that has occurred for years), perhaps you should lead the way to revive those cultural traditions you are so worried about. Ironically, while urging others to protect Grenadian culture, you have not recently supported, or shed light to Rotaract’s impactful work. Constructive involvement could help shape the very changes you seek. Real preservation of culture starts with a collaborative spirit—something worth fostering with organizations already working to uplift the community. Your judgmental tone feels out of touch.
It’s good to see the call to protect Grenadian culture, cause our traditions and ways of life make us who we are. But to pick out one Halloween event by Rotaract, an organization that always helping communities kinda missing the bigger picture.
From my understanding this Halloween Movie Night was just a lil’ fundraiser to raise funds for projects that support the same communities the author comes from.
Plus, other places, hotels, schools, businesses down south, do Halloween events too, but nobody askin dem bout cultural impact. Instead of blaming one group, we need to find ways to keep our traditions strong while adapting to new tings. Better we support efforts that celebrate our heritage directly, bringin’ everybody together to keep our culture alive.
Oh my, how closed minded can you be? Are Catholic traditions part of your culture? If island traditions are forgotten don’t point at a movie night fundraiser as the problem. Look within my brother, look at how your children are raised. Don’t point fingers at others when what’s lacking is traditional teachings. The world is a small place, don’t be so small minded. Sounds like you’re preaching hate.
Excellent rebuttal.