Hartley Neita,ContributorTODAY IS the anniversary of our achievement of Independence. It is a public holiday.
However, unlike other public holidays like Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and Labour Day, whenever it falls on a Saturday, it is celebrated on that day. Stores and shops are therefore closed. Shop assistants therefore enjoy a long weekend, while other workers who work the routine Monday-to-Friday schedule, do not. Next year, when it falls on Sunday, it will be celebrated on the following Monday.
In the United States of America, I am told, when their July 4 Independence Day falls on a Saturday, they celebrate it on the preceding Friday. The only reason why we do not do this in Jamaica, or celebrate our Independence Day on a Monday when it falls on a Saturday could be that it is just five days after Emancipation Day. But then, we do have a precedence in that Christmas Day and New Year's Day are just one week apart.
The problem, of course if it is began in 1962 when our leaders met with the British Government's leadership to decide on a day when Jamaica would be granted its Independence. Norman Manley told the country he would seek to have this date to be August 1, the same date as Emancipation Day. He might have seen both events as having equal significance to Jamaicans, and the problem would have been what to call it perhaps "Emancipation/Independence Day". However, Opposition Leader Alexander Bustamante would have none of that. He said he wanted it to be on May 23 which, incidentally, was the date on which he suffered his first martyrdom when he was arrested and placed in jail.
CHOOSING AUGUST 6
Naturally, Manley could not have that. So the British Government settled the argument by choosing August 6 that year, to be commemorated in subsequent years on the first Monday in August. And to resolve the "problem" of the two holidays being too close, Emancipation Day was therefore abolished.
We have had a number of other public holidays abolished before. For example, there were Federation Day, Empire Day, the King's (and later Queen's) Birthday, and Constitution Day. And there were even some who wanted Referendum Day to be declared a public holiday to celebrate the day we voted to get out of the Federation of the West Indies. This, of course, would only have been celebrated while a Jamaica Labour Party Government held office, and the thought was not taken seriously.
One early public holiday which went by the board was first promulgated on June 7, 1693. The law enabling this was passed to commemorate the destruction of Port Royal by the earthquake of June 7 of the preceding year. The law established it as "a perpetual anniversary day of fasting and humiliation, and for the mortification of the flesh thereby to appease the divine wrath of which the earthquake was a manifestation."
It did not, however, stop or prohibit the carrying on of business, as the authorities wanted to satisfy both Mammon and God. But it called on the inhabitants of Jamaica to "resort to some usual place where prayers and preaching were used to be ministered, and there orderly and devoutly abide during the celebration of Divine Service by prayers, preaching and the singing of hymns".
EARLY PUBLIC HOLIDAY
Another early public holiday was on March 17, 1843. This was promulgated when, because of the fear among the people caused by the appearance of a comet on March 3, followed by earthquake shocks on the nights of March 6, 11 and 13, "a Day of Humiliation and Thanksgiving to Almighty God for Deliverance from Destruction by these recent earthquakes", was held in churches and chapels all over the island.
We have also enjoyed special public holidays to mark special events. One was the declaration of such a day by the Governor, Sir Hugh Foot, to mark the national joy of the relay victory by Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley, George Rhoden and Les Laing at Helsinki in 1952. A similar holiday was also declared by Prime Minister Patterson in 1998 when our football team qualified for the finals of the World Cup. Cornwall College boys also enjoyed a holiday some years ago when they won the DaCosta Cup.
The problem with public holidays, however, is that most of us celebrate and not commemorate. Once upon a time, hundreds of Jamaicans went by trains, buses and trucks on excursions for beach picnics and country fairs. There were also the cricket teams from Kingston who travelled to towns and villages to play "curry goat" matches.
A pleasure which has been revived in recent years.
