AH WEDDING IN SPRING GARDEN

Maybe, just Maybe we need to slow down, stop and revisit our Good, Ole, Rich Traditions. Weddings is one. Long ago when you say wedding de first month dat came to mind was June. The name June is derived from Juno, the Roman Goddess of marriage. And families believed when a couple married in June, they would be blessed with happiness forever.

But Boxing Day, de day after Christmas, and New Years Day, January 1st, were just as pop-yuh-law. Ah remember on dem two days, as early as 8:00 a.m. Church Bells ringing, car horns blowing, and we lickle ones uses to run to de side-walk to wave and count de number of cars.

Most guests looked forward for de Boxing Day or New Years Day weddings. Especially if is ah country wedding. Why? De food man! Dey was never ah country wedding widout Goat: curried and stewed, beef, roast-pork, fish, callaloo soup wid cray fish, tripe or goat head (manish-water), and yuh could never “buss de bar!” De reason why ah remember all de nice foods from ole time wedding is because ah went to one las Monday, New Years Day!

My wife and I were honoured wid ah surprise visit just after Independence last year, when Constable Kenroy Rogers (no stranger to our home at all) personally delivered ah Wedding Invitation to us. He is stay-shunned at de Mad-is-straight Courts, so under cross-examine-nay-shun, aided by his usual secretive and respectful manner, he disclosed he was getting married to “you know the young lady well” he said. Well: “Mouth open and de whole story jump out.”

Ah vividly recall way back to about 20 years ago when Officer Rogers, his three other siblings and Sharon Rogers, his single parent mother moved lower down de village opposite my home to live. I had lots ah bearing mango trees and it did not take de Rogers gang any length ah time to befriend me calling me Papa! Very sternly ah told dey mom to get dem dressed early to go to Salvation Army Church wid me de next Sunday. Bright’n’early dat Sunday morning, dey were ready. It was ah United Service, folks from de Calder /Fair Hall Corps came to Kingstown so Army Church was full. De Calder Corps had ah lot ah young junior soldiers in dey early teens, de Woodley family wid three girls including Alison “CJ” Woodley, ah cute looking twelve year ole playing Cornet in de Band. And my boy Kenroy was quietly scoping de scene.

Fast forward fifteen years to 2019, and Kenroy and Female Constable Alison Woodley met foh real, dis time at de Police Band Room. He was playing Trombone and Bass Drum and she the Cornet. De musical scores were settled at New Testament Church on New Years Day

He was right, ah needed no introduction, except to say that de Woodley family is very talented and musically gifted, very decent and respectful Salvationists. But my boy is ah Giant in Stature, Discipline, Manners and Behave-yah. Ah Born Again Christian. His Mom Sharon was mother and father, Strained, Struggled, Suffered in sickness, defied Pull-it-to-kill Victim-I-say-shun sending all four youngsters to Secondary School. Lie-Za reminds me dat when night come God never put on pyjamas! Karma and death-tribute-shun catching up wid all dem wicked Be-Eye-Tec-See-Itches! Nuff Respect to people like de Hon Arm-in Eustace, and Thank yuh Jesus! Ah witnessed Sharon dancing wid her Son and Daughter-in-law at de wedding. Everybody N-Joy dem-selves, de DJ played some good music, ah had to get up and dance wid de Bride and den joined me wife in de Congo Line.

What ah One-dah-full Wedding! We read bout ah “Wedding in Cana in Galilee” dis one was ah Wedding in Spring Garden” Ah doh know way de food and drinks spring from: “ Goat, pork, beef, fish, chicken, every body enjoyed dem-selves. Big up Bishop Porter of Lowmans Leeward New Testament Church foh his lovely Blessings. Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Kenroy and “CJ” Rogers. May God Richly Bless dem both. And wid dat is gone ah gone again

One Love Bassy

• Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.