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DR RITA PEMBERTON
The Easter season is a highly-anticipated period in Tobago. It has been associated with a number of the island’s valued traditions and is important in the spiritual and cultural life of the people. It was marked by a number of religious observations and rituals, as well as a number of community activities and beliefs which became important traditions.
In preparation for the Easter season, homes were cleaned and adorned with new curtains. New clothes for both the solemn and festive activities of the weekend were bought. For Good Friday purple, white or dark-coloured clothes were considered appropriate, while white was the preferred colour for Easter Sunday as a reflection of the jubilation of day.
Items were bought for the special Easter Sunday meals – chocolate tea, ham, pork, turkey, chicken, fish, rice, peas, callalloo and ground provisions.
Prayers an integral aspect
The religious ceremonies began with the vigil on Holy Thursday, when churches took on a sombre look with the removal of decorations, and attendees participated in the washing of the feet, a symbol of humility. In the Christian spirit, the Good Friday bobolee was erected in the villages for passers-by to beat, symbolising opposition to the betrayal of Christ.
At the Good Friday service, which in some churches could last for three hours, prayers for deliverance were offered. The Easter vigil followed on Gloria Saturday, the day Lent ended. Churches took on a more festive appearance on Easter Sunday with the replacement of decorations and the celebration of the resurrection of Christ.
The fun begins
After the church services, it was time for various forms of recreation. Traditionally, Good Friday was the day for playing marbles, and games were played all across the island. In many communities elaborate marble tournaments were organised. This was a serious, male-dominated sport, for which the participants consistently practised. The pitching ground, a circle, was demarcated and players engaged in marble gambling. They displayed their prized marble collections, some of which included slugs from abandoned car engines.
There were strict rules governing the position of the hands for the start of the game, which were closely monitored by the umpire and supporters. Hands were to remain behind the starting line and no shoving of marbles was allowed. These pitching battles attracted a large, devoted, noisy crowd as each player, armed with his "tor" or "taw," also called "big boogie" – a bigger, special and considered lucky marble – and his team of supporters, sought to show off his dexterity and pitching techniques.
[caption id="attachment_884148" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Vicky Dillon washes the feet of her husband Winston Dillon at the Scarborough RC Church's Holy Thursday mass. This year, the priest Fr Leslie Tang Kai asked couples to wash the feet of their spouses. - David Reid[/caption]
The main aim of the game was to hit bullseye with one shooting stroke, scattering all the marbles in the ring and giving the victorious pitcher a big haul of marbles.
The winner of each of the pitching rounds was the person who accumulated the most marbles from his competitors by knocking them out of their position in the ring. Those who ran out of marbles were permitted to purchase some from other players.
The overall winner was the player who knocked out the most marbles during the tournament and walked away with them, sometimes including the tor of his competitors.
Good Friday beliefs
There were several beliefs about Good Friday. It was considered a good day for the beach because it was associated with low tides, and sea bathing was popular.
Since Good Friday fell within the Lenten period, the consumption of meat was not allowed. In Tobago, the most popular meal for the period was provision and fish, fresh or salted. The abstention from meat symbolised the importance of sacrifice, but the locals added their own interpretation.
One of the prevailing beliefs was that if meat was consumed on Good Friday the blood of Jesus Christ would be seen running from the meat you were eating. Naturally, few people were brave enough to attempt to test that theory.
It was also believed that neither cooking nor eating should occur before the time when Christ was removed from the cross. Some people waited until 1 pm, when His required three-hour period on the cross had elapsed, before eating.
One very popular Good Friday practice was based on the belief that it was a good day to obtain a prediction of your future. For this, an egg was broken, and the white placed in a calabash or glass and put out in the noonday sun. The future of the individual would be indicated by the shape the egg white assumed. Many looked on with anticipation, hoping for the appearance of a boat, the sign of travel abroad, money, a sign of financial improvement, books or some other sign of success and personal improvement.
There was also a dreaded apprehension that the revelation might not be positive: for example, the egg white could take the shape of a coffin.
Goats gear up
Easter Sunday was a day of worship and most people attended church. But on Easter Monday and Tuesday the island was bustling with activity.
Monday was a day for sporting activity. In some communities, football and cricket tournaments were held, as well as marine sports such as the regatta in the coastal areas off Roxborough.
The biggest event of the day was the sports meeting held at the Mt Pleasant Recreation Ground. This meeting catered for all ages because of variety of activities offered. There were flat races for the younger generation, the popular and amusing greasy pole, the maypole dance, and the Easter bonnet competition.
Most popular of all were the goat races, Tobago’s signal tradition, the magnified version of which would be presented in Buccoo on the following day.
Some churches used the season to raise funds by organising dances on Easter Monday for children in the afternoon and adults at night. The evening dance was a big event on the island’s social calendar. It was held in Mason Hall, where the music of Little Seven and Ray Lyons and other bands provided the opportunity for patrons to display their dance skills. Women in flared dresses and dancing shoes came prepared to move to the beat of the waltz, bolero, foxtrot, rumba, cha cha cha and merengue. But it was the bounce that energised dancers and captivated attention. A circle of admirers would form around the dancers, so it was wise for those who could not keep up with the pace and men who stepped on ladies’ toes to avoid the dance floor.
On Easter Tuesday all roads led to the village of Buccoo, to the popular and unique Tobago sport tradition, goat and crab racing – one of the island’s major tourist attractions. The area was abuzz with traditional food preparations, including the Buccoo speciality, conch souse. Goats, reared and trained for the sport by their “jockeys,” raced to win prizes, which in the early days were marbles. The races provided much entertainment, as some crabs did not co-operate with their jockeys and some goats headed in the wrong direction. But patrons had their favourites and there was excitement right up to the finish line.
This was the high note on which Tobago’s traditional Easter celebrations ended.
[caption id="attachment_880178" align="alignnone" width="255"] Dr Rita Pemberton -[/caption]
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