Like all groups of people, Barbadians have unique personality and traditions in their culture. As an American expat living in Barbados, here are some of what I have learned about these caring souls:
1. Barbadians call themselves Bajans. It’s interesting that nothing happens quickly in Barbados except talking about individual words. Say the word “Barbadian” (“Bar-bayyd-ian”) quickly and with a Barbadian accent and you’ll get a word that sounds more like “Bar-bayy-junn”, which, when abbreviated, is “Bajan”. It’s something like “Injun” for “Indian” and “Cajun” for “Acadian”.
2. The bajans are reserved. While the Trinidadian temperament is lively and always up for a good time and Jamaicans are very confident and outgoing, Baja Californians are more reserved in polite company. It’s English in them. Not back kickers, not fakers…very good hearted. Crop Over and other festivals exempt from this characterization.
3. The bajans are super clean. Even if people are of very modest means, their homes are often immaculate. I have never seen anything like a “slum” in Barbados.
4. They paint their houses at Christmas. My first December on the island I was staging a house that was going to go on the market; the house required painting. I couldn’t find an available painter to save my soul, and when I drove around the island I saw why: Every painter, both professional and non-professional, painted houses, particularly the front porches. It turns out that painting and fixing up the house is a Christmas tradition.
5. Bajans Love Their Flying Fish (and Tourists, Too). Kind of like reading in Hawaii, you see flying fish everywhere. Bajans don’t greet visitors to the island with a fish around their necks, of course, but graphic depictions of our fantastic fish leaping from the sea are seen on signs, t-shirts, hats, artwork, placemats, oven mitts. , and much more. Plus, of course, we eat lots and lots of flying fish: in slicers (sandwiches), deep-fried at Oistins on Friday nights, and Creole-style in more formal restaurants.