Beating Stress Away on Good Friday
Dear friends, we are mere hours away from Good Friday which, in the Christian community around the world, marks the end of the 40 day Lenten season preceding Easter.
While fasting is a common practice during Lent, there are many different practices observed in other countries around the world which can range anyway from getting a haircut to finding a black hen and marking it with X on Good Friday in preparation for cooking on Easter Sunday.
Traditional Lenten practices in different countries are very often a reflection of the people and the culture where they are observed. In the Caribbean, for example, there is an old legend that suggests you should stay away from the beach on Good Friday for fear that you are turned into a fish. In our country, Trinidad and Tobago, we follow the Stations of the Cross (a 14 step Catholic tradition retracing Jesus' steps on his last day), fly kites shaped like crosses, eat Hot Cross Buns, race crabs and goats, and beat the Good Friday Bobolee.
Today, I share with you one practice that has found roots in my native country, Trinidad and Tobago, and that is the practice of beating the Good Friday Bobolee, and if you stay with me, I'll explain to you how this act- not the violence, but its symbolism- reflects the nature of our people.
The Good Friday Bobolee
What is a Good Friday Bobolee?
The Good Friday Bobolee is a stuffed effigy which is usually propped upright and made to stand attached to posts, trees, fences tied to a post at the side of the road in villages around the country as a form of public shaming leading up to Good Friday morning.
Where did the term 'Bobolee' come from?
In my country, we have a unique lexicon representing a blend of languages from around the world- Amerindian/ Native Americans, Europeans (Spanish, French, English, Dutch and German), West Africans, East Indians, Chinese, Syrians and others.
Bobolee is a common Trinbagonian term. It means someone who is not very smart. Another Trinidadian term for someone who is not very smart is chupidee, though to be clear, the effigy is not to be called a Good Friday Chupidee.
What does the Good Friday Bobolee represent?
Traditionally, the Good Friday Bobolee was a symbol of the traitor Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus Christ, trading his life for financial gain- 30 pieces of silver. While this tradition continues, over the years, the Good Friday has taken on other meanings:
To some, the Good Friday Bobolee represents stress
To some, the Good Friday Bobolee represents a politician or public figure who is believed to have betrayed his people.
Beating the Good Friday Bobolee
On Good Friday morning, the Bobolee is made a mockery of and dragged through the streets of by a procession of villagers singing songs and cracking jokes on the way to a predetermined site where they would then beat the bobolee with bats and sticks and anything they could find.
And so, my friends, in Trinidad and Tobago, we are a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multicultural people known for having a very light nature. We see fun and humor in almost everything, and so this symbolic process, rooted in religion, has over the years evolved to represent our free-spirited, freedom loving nature, where even stress or inflation could be the Bobolee which will be publicly shamed and symbolically beaten.
This year, because of the COVID 19 pandemic, I have not noticed many effigies, and I suspect that if there are any activities at all, they will be significantly scaled down because of the pandemic. Notwithstanding, Trinis will be Trinis, and we love a good time, and so I won't be surprised if something pops up in the morning and there's a procession around it. Our culture has stood and continues to stand the test of time, and pretty soon, I expect to see some very creative effigies representing the symbols of our stress over the past few years.
Well, friends, that's my story about the Good Friday Bobolee. Thank you for reading. I hope that you enjoyed this story about our culture and our practices. Tell me, though, do you observe Lent and Easter? And if you do, are there any symbolic practices that you observe or traditional beliefs around this time? I'd love to hear your stories!
Resources
So much has been learnt from your tradition... That YouTube video really buttressed more on your article... Bobolee, wow! I'm really just learning this. In my own country, I haven't really observed any special tradition, what I do notice is the Catholic members; on good Friday would act on the streets. I've witnessed this once... Different members; coming forth to portray the persecution of Jesus Christ