– through the annual RHTYSC Christmas Village

By Marissa V. Foster

CHRISTMAS can be celebrated in many forms and ways. In the Ancient County of Berbice, that celebration takes the form of attending church services, family dinners and Christmas parties. There is usually a large block party/gathering that happens in all three of the County’s towns: New Amsterdam, Rose Hall, and Corriverton. Barricades usually block the main roads, and people flood the roads to do last-minute shopping. They drink and dance, take memorable pictures, and even enjoy fun games and road activities. While this can be fun, many, including the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, believe that it is divergent to the true meaning of Christmas.

A close associate of the Club, the late Tony Rambarran, contacted the membership with his concerns that there is little to no family-oriented activities in Berbice; an event where you can enjoy the true meaning of Christmas without alcohol and obscene music. That sparked an idea among the Club’s members, and the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club’s Christmas Village was born. It is an annual event, with this year being its fifth consecutive year of execution. According to Hilbert Forster, the organisation’s Sports Administrator, whose brainchild the initiative is, “The main objectives of this project is to foster social cohesion amongst the families of Berbice. It provides a safe and fun environment for children to enjoy Christmas; promotes the true meaning and tradition of Christmas, and it adapts the characteristics of the Club’s Say NO/Say Yes programmes.”

At the Rose Hall Town Christmas Village, there are many exciting sites that allow families to capture indelible moments together. There is usually a 20ft Christmas Tree; a Christmas chimney; a locally-made doll house; a family bridge that resembles the well-known ‘kissing-bridge’ in the Botanical Gardens; a horror house; and a Nativity Scene. There are also many activities on site, such as face-painting by a small business called Mart; a professional photo-booth; a trampoline; bouncy castles and ‘pulling a chance’ games. The children’s eyes light up with joy as they witness all the festive decorations and toys. Parents relax as their children play in this safe environment, and everyone feels upbeat, thanks to the festive Caribbean and local music being played. While the event was initially Rambarran and Foster’s idea, none of it would have been attainable without the creative and labouring help of the RHTYSC’s ten cricket teams.

As if the Christmas Village isn’t enough, the Club also seeks to donate toys, ‘goodie bags’, educational materials and food hampers to the less fortunate across the County, in light of the nature of the season. They also work alongside the Berbice Cricket Board to donate hampers to retired cricketers and umpires.

This village would not have been possible without the generous sponsorships of the club’s patron, President David Granger; ANSA McAL, Panthera Solution Inc., KSM investments, Bakewell LTD. and the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The Rose Hall Town Christmas Village is a snapshot out of a Christmas Movie Scene. The majority of the sites were locally constructed. It seeks to mix the western and Caribbean ideas of Christmas into one. Families from all walks of life, and from all across Berbice have been enjoying the festivities of this village for the past five years, and according to Foster, the event will only get bigger and better in the future. He is urging everyone to attend next year’s festivities with their family, because it’ll be twice the size in terms of activities and sites. The village seeks to preserve the true meaning of the Christmas season by observing the festive virtues of charity, generosity, joy and most importantly; happiness!