Record #:

16390

Author(s):

Abrahams, Roger D.

Abstract:

In plantation times, Christmas was a time of relative freedom for slaves. The plantation journals and travel accounts often not only record this, but give elaborate descriptions of how the slaves celebrated. In many places in the circum-Caribbean area, including the Old South, the most dramatic feature of the Christmas celebration lay in the wandering groups of costumed players who went from one plantation to another.

Source:

North Carolina Folklore Journal (NoCar GR 110 N8 N6), Vol. 21 Issue 3, Sept 1973, p120-131

Subject(s):

Christmas--Observances--African American