Home » Christmas » Christmas in Bahamas Christmas in Bahamas   Celebrate the national festival of Junkanoo with123Christians offering information on Christmas in Bahamas. The etymology of the word is obscure. Some say it hails from the French L’inconnu (the unknown), referring to masks worn by the paraders; or junk enoo, the Scottish colonists’ allusion to the parades, meaning “junk enough”, or “John Canoe”, an African tribal chief who demanded the right to celebrate with his people even after being brought to the West Indies in slavery. A Christmas celebration in The Bahamas is incomplete without Junkanoo bands rushing in the streets. Venture down Nassau during the early morning hours of Boxing Day (26th December) and New Year’s Day to take a look at this cornucopia of blush and reverberation. The early morning darkness adds to the bewitching atmosphere. Streetlights highlight the hues of the costumes and banners intricately designed and patterned from strips of crepe paper of all colors glued to clothing, cardboard and wood. Among the Junkanoo troupes, competition is fierce - thousands of dollars in prize money are at stake - and costume designs are a closely-guarded secret until they are finally unveiled. Each troupe selects a theme for its costumes and members are dressed accordingly, ranging between something as archaic as the Vikings and as contemporary as astronauts. The groups’ short-step or merengue along the street, depending on the melody they play with their goat-skin drums, cowbells, conch shell horns and whistles. Revelers cavort on the sidelines. If you just can’t make it to The Bahamas at Christmastime, the parades are also held in during other special celebrations such as Independence Day (July 10). Know all the details about a Christmas in Bahamas; browse 123Christians.