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Jamaican wedding traditions

boscobel

By boscobel
in Destination Weddings in Jamaica

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atalanta

atalanta

Posted
Posted

I'm just beginning to read through this thread, but was amazed at the number of ew and gross remarks about jamaican traditions and I've only gotten to the second page.

 

Growing up Jamaican, I always loved the particular tradition below. I'm not quite sure what the writer found gross about it, and from her description, I am not entirely sure that she fully understand what usually occurs so I thought I'd explain it in a little more detail.

 

The bride feeds a piece of cake to the groom (usually by hand). Instead of eating the piece of cake, he captures the cake so that half of the cake is in his mouth and half is outside of his mouth. (The traditional Jamaican cake is firm so the overhang is sort of suspended there.) The bride bites off this overhang (the cake that is visible outside the groom's mouth).  Then the groom does the same thing to the bride. Both exchanges usually end up looking like a very sweet kiss to the onlookers and sometimes the exchange spurs a more passionate kiss.

 

The passing of cake back and forth symbolizes how well the couple will nourish each other through out their marriage--their ability to give to each other, share what they have with each other, and receive each other fully. The couple is supposed to do this without dropping any cake for luck.

 

I haven't talked to my fiance, who is not Jamaican, about doing this tradition yet . I actually didn't think it was a big deal, but I hope he receives this tradition favorably.

 

As for mailing a cake back home, the fruits are soaked in rum from the start of the engagement and Jamaican cakes are bathed in rum after they are baked. If they weren't so delicious I presume they could last a lifetime with re-wetting.  Wray and nephew, the Jamaican overproof white rum,  is the probably one of the highest strength rums in the world. Nothing will grow on or near the cake with that much alcohol!

 

When we were kids, my mom would hide the leftover cake from Christmas (Fun fact: the tradtional jamaican fruit cake served at weddings is called the Grandmother's Christmas cake) and give it to us on special occasions throughout the year.  You only have to be careful to rewet the cake as the rum evaporates overtime. I have talked to my fiance about mailing the cake, which he and his family love (It's a taste you either love or hate), to our our guests that may not be able to attend. He was particularly excited about having our guests have a real taste of our wedding (figuratively and literally)!

 

I hope that provides some clarity about the traditions I've read in this thread so far. If you still find it "ew" and "gross" you are definitely entitled to your opinion, just keep in mind that it might be hurtful to another bride to read that you find her culture repulsive.

 

Originally Posted by meandpaul View Post

I saw on a bride's bio (cant remember who but she was married at Beaches Boscobel - the same as us) and she said a tradition is for the groom to put a piece of the cake "IN" his mouth and feed it to his bride...then vice versa. I am NOT doing this. It sounds absolutely gross.


 

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bride6262

bride6262

Posted
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my sister and her husband did this and it was really cute.... much better than having cake smashed in your face!
 

Originally Posted by atalanta View Post

I'm just beginning to read through this thread, but was amazed at the number of ew and gross remarks about jamaican traditions and I've only gotten to the second page.

 

Growing up Jamaican, I always loved the particular tradition below. I'm not quite sure what the writer found gross about it, and from her description, I am not entirely sure that she fully understand what usually occurs so I thought I'd explain it in a little more detail.

 

The bride feeds a piece of cake to the groom (usually by hand). Instead of eating the piece of cake, he captures the cake so that half of the cake is in his mouth and half is outside of his mouth. (The traditional Jamaican cake is firm so the overhang is sort of suspended there.) The bride bites off this overhang (the cake that is visible outside the groom's mouth).  Then the groom does the same thing to the bride. Both exchanges usually end up looking like a very sweet kiss to the onlookers and sometimes the exchange spurs a more passionate kiss.

 

The passing of cake back and forth symbolizes how well the couple will nourish each other through out their marriage--their ability to give to each other, share what they have with each other, and receive each other fully. The couple is supposed to do this without dropping any cake for luck.

 

I haven't talked to my fiance, who is not Jamaican, about doing this tradition yet . I actually didn't think it was a big deal, but I hope he receives this tradition favorably.

 

As for mailing a cake back home, the fruits are soaked in rum from the start of the engagement and Jamaican cakes are bathed in rum after they are baked. If they weren't so delicious I presume they could last a lifetime with re-wetting.  Wray and nephew, the Jamaican overproof white rum,  is the probably one of the highest strength rums in the world. Nothing will grow on or near the cake with that much alcohol!

 

When we were kids, my mom would hide the leftover cake from Christmas (Fun fact: the tradtional jamaican fruit cake served at weddings is called the Grandmother's Christmas cake) and give it to us on special occasions throughout the year.  You only have to be careful to rewet the cake as the rum evaporates overtime. I have talked to my fiance about mailing the cake, which he and his family love (It's a taste you either love or hate), to our our guests that may not be able to attend. He was particularly excited about having our guests have a real taste of our wedding (figuratively and literally)!

 

I hope that provides some clarity about the traditions I've read in this thread so far. If you still find it "ew" and "gross" you are definitely entitled to your opinion, just keep in mind that it might be hurtful to another bride to read that you find her culture repulsive.

 



 



 

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atalanta

atalanta

Posted
Posted

A chocolate rum cake? Is this different than the traditional black Jamaican cake. Are we talking about the same thing? The traditional Jamaican cakes are fruit cakes (not like the ones that are usually spurned in the US) not chocolate. It's all of that fruit and butter that gives it is almost potato pudding-type consistency and the burnt sugar that gives it its dark color not chocolate.

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