Christmas with Profit Revelation

Profit Revelation, a deejay from Spanish Town, Jamaica, has fond memories of Christmas with his siblings and parents known as the Campbell family.

“My father raised common fowl and before Christmas, perhaps a week, we would help him to catch this fowl which was placed into a fowl coop.”

“This would be the biggest fowl in the yard that could share for all of us. And, during that time Dad would give the fowl medicine to ensure the meat was one hundred per cent healthy to eat.”

“Christmas morning we would wake up early, about six o’clock, and as children, we did our normal duties, which include sweeping the yard and washing the plates and pots.”

“But, we also help dad and mom in putting on the pot as we needed hot water to pick the feathers from the fowl.”

The meat would be washed with lime or vinegar to get rid of the rawness. This was then seasoned and fried on a wood fire because we had no stove to do so.”

“We also had carrot or sorrel drink. I preferred sorrel which dad planted. And had potato pudding for Christmas. We did not make cakes as these were more expensive.”

“To make this pudding, we had to grate sweet potatoes, add corn meal, flour sugar, coconut milk, vanilla, cinnamon, a little wine, and a tip of salt.”

“My father had a four-corner pot which he would use to bake the pudding. The mixture was poured into this large pot which was place on a wood fire. A piece of clean zinc with fire coal was placed on top of the pot. This was referred to as hell a top, hell a bottom, Halleluyah in a middle.”

“We also had ice cream for Christmas and for toys, my sister would get a white dolly and as boys, we got a small truck or car.”

“Nowadays, Christmas is far different from what it used to be in my days. We did not commercialise Christmas with all this rush in spending on clothes, furniture, and other items.”

“In my days, if you got a pair of pants or a pair of new shoes for Christmas, better let it serve you for long.”

Profit Revelation, born Barrington Campbell, has recorded more than 10 songs. These include “Gun Dawg,” “Mosquito Dance,” “Bull Frog Dance,” “Social Distance,” “Woman Bang Yu Belly,” and “Money Fi Do Christmas.”

(Photo contributed by Profit Revelation)