Christmas at Miss Lassie’s

By Stuart Wilson

The Cayman National Cultural Foundation hosted a ‘Christmas of Yesteryear’ event at Miss Lassie’s House in South Sound on Thursday, 7th and Friday, 8th December.

Making a comeback this year after it had been discontinued for some time, the two-day celebration returned with some slight revisions, including school students singing to seniors and seniors passing down Cayman’s tradition to the students.

Kite Maker Alfonzo Ebanks that his kites were waterproof; a feature he discovered by using chickenfeed bags in the design.

“Bamboo is also used and it takes a lot of skill to cut it,” he explained, adding that without the right cut, the sticks would be damaged and the entire project would go awry.

Mr. Alfonso is know as one of the best and most well known kite makers in West Bay, with Mr. Leonard Bodden joining him in the top ranks.

Evelyn Rocket and the children from her Just For Kids Preschool gave their rendition of “Mix My Swanky With Brow Sugar and youngsters from various schools around the Cayman Islands, while Rita Estevanovich and other Caymanian cultural stalwarts such as Lorna Bush taught the students about the finer details of traditional Caymanian Christmas and what life was like in years gone by.

“We are prepared to do what we can to pass down these traditions. It is important that we, the elders pass down these traditions and not leave out up to interpretation. It must come from us who lived it, while we are still here,” noted Mrs. Bush.

From the traditions of sweeping the sand in preparation for Christmas, and the making of gigs, to thatching and other indigenous pass times, the Christmas of Yesteryear held at Miss Lassie’s had something for every interest and the synergy between old and young was a perfect channel for keeping Cayman’s culture alive.

Miss Lassie’s House is one of the Cayman Islands’ most historic cultural structures.

Built by Miss Lassie’s father with community assistance, construction began in 1879 and was completed in 1881.

The original construction comprising ironwood framing and wattle and daub walls remains intact except for the thatch on the roof, which was replaced first with shingles and - in 1947- corrugated zinc sheets.