New Years Eve was a very special time in Accompong Town. That day just happens to be my good friend Troy’s birthday and a party had been in the planning since before Christmas. Troy and Winsome own the little shop/bar a stone’s throw away from my house so with my gimpy knee, it was my favorite place to hang our in the evening.
I know that in Jamaica, no party really gets going until after midnight so I decided to catch a nap before walking over to the shop at around 11pm as not to miss the celebration at midnight. When I got there, a sound system from Santa Cruz called “Genesis” had been setting-up and testing the massive speaker columns. As it turns out, the shop’s front stoop was roughly equal distance from each column so I staked out a spot to enjoy the show.
Winsome and a couple of relatives had been cooking a pot of Mannish Water for most of the day and they offered me a “testing” cup. I think they reasoned if a “tourist” found it suitable to eat then it was ready for their local friends and relatives. Since Mannish Water is based on the remnants of a ram goat after the choice cuts were taken for Curried Goat, I watched the ram’s head spinning around the pot as the ladle stirred to get my sample secretly praying that the goat’s testicles (or possibly an eyeball) wouldn’t become part of my serving. Thankfully it had just vegetables and some non-descript pieces of goat seasoned to perfection. I gave it a “thumb’s up!”
There were lots of chicken quarters soaking in a jerk marinade and getting cooked over a “three stone” fire right along side of two pots of Curry chicken and Curry goat; roasted yams and tons of shredded cabbage coleslaw topped with a slice of hard dough bread going for $300J per plate. I got another cup of Mannish Water for $100J so I could donate to the Troy Birthday fund and headed back to my seat on the stoop.
Genesis was in full swing playing oldies from the Ska, Rocksteady and Roots Reggae eras tastefully woven together in a not too loud presentation that would surely become ear-splitting as the clock wound forward. The early crowd was composed almost exclusively of Accompong Town residents or former residents who had come home for the holidays and the January 6th Celebration. I was like old home time for me as I had not seen a lot of these people in several years making for a big reunion and lots of storytelling.
Midnight was upon us as some children as well as adults acting like children tossed firecrackers into the road. Here in South Florida a barrage of gun fire would accompany the striking of midnight but only one or two gunshots could be discerned and those from a village down the hill. As if on cue, Genesis turned up the volume and began playing a Garnett Silk set. This was a good choice as Garnett was a local singer playing mostly out of Mandeville and smaller venues within a few miles of town.
It was approaching 1 am and the sparse crowd of less than a hundred started to swell from residents and surrounding town’s residents who came to dance the night away. A majority of these newcomers were ladies dressed to “the nines” in tight-fitting dresses and jumpsuits. Alcohol consumption increased and inhibitions were on the decline.
Time passed rather quickly in the cool, damp night and the heat coming from the dancing made me forget about any discomfort I was feeling from the temperature or my knee. At around 4 am there must have been close to 300 people up and down the road dancing to the dancehall beat and this is in a town of about 1500 residents. There was little sleep in this sleepy, little village that night.
I walked back to the house at about 5 am and lay in my bed listening to the boom of the bass beat to around 6:30 or so when I finally fell asleep in utter exhaustion. It was now 2012 and the January 6th Celebration was just a few days away.
Peace and Guidance.
