How many of you know what Grand Market is?
For years I took it for granted that all Jamaicans knew what it was. But then one night about 6 years ago, as I spoke to a female friend of mine in Portland, I mentioned it and she was clueless. "Grand Market??? Never heard of that before." I wonder how many people are in her boat.
Well, for those who don't know, Grand Market is an event held on Christmas Eve of every year. I use the term 'event' loosely, because it really isn't much more than a lot of people at one place at one time listening to music and doing last minute shopping. It's argued that Brown's Town has the largest Grand Market in the island. The town is packed with people, 3 or 4 different sound systems take the streets, and it's one big fiesta... sort of.
The event here has evolved over the last 5 or so years. It used to be that the streets would be packed by maybe 9 p.m., music blaring and people shopping, and by maybe 5 a.m. it would die down. Nowadays the real sardine packing started at around midnight, and on your way to church later in the morning you're likely to find hundreds of people still out on the streets. These days lighting aerosol cans has become common. So it's sorta scary walking through the crowd. These days, the streets get so packed that traffic is no longer allowed in the town, but is diverted unto back roads, to avoid the confusion (or rather, to lesson it to some limited degree).
Grand Market is that time when you meet up and reunite with friends, go unto the second floor of a plaza, and watch the confusion below. Grand Market is that time when you walk every store, and get those gifts you forgot to get. Grand arket is that time when you hear your favourite songs blaring from the Bass Odyssey speakers (no soca though). Grand Market was one of my favourite days of the year, only a few years ago.
But, Grand Market was the time when in the space of 10 seconds, the same man spilt his beer on me and then burnt me with his cigarette. Grand Market is the time when some girls get groped by some stink a-hole with a grin on his face and a knife in his waste. Grand Market is the time when there are just too many people around, and too close for comfort. Grand Market is the time when the focus shifts from the celebration Christ's birth, to commercial gain and rowdy behaviour. No wonder my mother hates it.
But that's just me. Last year I didn't go out on Christmas Eve, for the first time in at least 10 to 12 years. Apparently, I've outgrown the excitement. But never mind the negative stuff, I'm just sharing the knowledge.
5 comments:
Thanx for the knowledge. I've known what is but have never been to one that size. I've done the Black River one. Fantastic!!!!
I was in your friend's boat yes, so thanks. Never knew what it was. Might have heard the words in passing but that's it.
Thanks for sharing this. I know of the concept from times past, but never equated it to anything happening today.
I do remember hanging out at the plazas on Christmas Eve as a teen, but I don't think that counts as Grand Market. (Although one year, there was this explosion that killed 3 or so people... a gas tank for ballons exploded... somthing about mixing H2SO4 with Na...)
Right... a helium tank overheated and exploded. My mother was just referring to that story the other day.
I've heard of Grand Market, I associated it with times past in Jamaica, like back when my father was a boy. I was born and riased in Kingston and I don't think I have ever experienced what you just described, except maybe at Jamaica Carnival, and thats definitely not Grand Market. Thanks for the informative post.
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