Page 142 - Visitor Guides

The New Year makes its entrance to exu- Island’s architecture. Because shipwrights

berant fanfare. From end to end the Island built the first houses and did not know reNdeZVouS
celebrates the countdown to the midnight how to construct ceilings, the roof was activities
hour. Step out in old St. George’s, party on exposed and had supporting beams, a
Front Street in the City of Hamilton or join method of construction that is still popu- NOVEMBER TO MARCH
the festivities at one of our premier hotels. lar. One of the best and oldest examples Bermuda’s spectacular beauty
The night is built around great music, lively of an ‘open beamed’ ceiling is St. Peter’s, provides the perfect setting for our
entertainment and our own brand of fun. Their Majesties Chappell in St. George’s— unique Bermuda Rendezvous

The sunrise send o­ is an island tradition: the oldest Anglican church in continuous Activities. These allow you to

a hearty breakfast of codfish, potatoes use outside of the British Isles. experience our Island culture, arts
with a side of bananas—Bermuda’s fa-
and entertainment. Time may even
vourite since the early 1600’s. Back then, slaves and free Blacks had
permit for a game of golf!
an important part in building our early
Between the months of
Wake up to a Bermuda-full day and watch rambling homes. Many were taught their
the Island arise—it is a chocolate box trade by travelling master craftsmen from November and March, this daily
scene that owes much to the Island’s ar- overseas who left the cornerstone of a programme provides you with a
chitecture. The white roofs are a work of design legacy behind. The well-trained wide range of activities from
art and a practical water catchment for Bermuda slaves and indentured servants guided tours to Bermuda Gombey
household water that are kept white and became master builders who were a valu- dancing, glassblowing to cooking.

clean; the rainwater runs o­ into the gut- able asset to their owners. After Emanci- Most of the daily activities are free
ters, down into a tank or cistern under the pation in 1834, the free men filled paid po- and take place from one end of the

building which also acts as a solid base for sitions in growing local industries. It was a Island to the other.
a solidly built structure. time of great change for Bermuda as well Bermuda Rendezvous Activities
as a time of economic growth.
also include a diverse and free
Architects and builders take pride in
Lecture Series covering several
continuing our architectural legacy. The There is a long and full story to be re-
aspects of the Bermudian culture
handsome details of eyebrows, shutters, counted here. The Bermudian masters
hipped roofs and welcoming arms steps were often very wealthy; they owned and traditions and Bermuda
history, each one held in a cultural
are not just so many ‘frills’ on the birthday ships and sailed up and down the Atlantic
venue on weekdays during
cake but are necessary to alleviate the coast with a crew that included their own
wear and tear of our sub-tropical climate. slaves. The slaves that remained here at November through March.
home worked the owner’s land, planting
The Bermuda National Trust’s museum bananas, potatoes, corn, pumpkins and
houses and other ‘show’ houses are a onions. Other slaves were sent down to
‘must see’ for anyone interested in the Turks and Caicos Islands to work the salt
mines—then a highly lucrative business for
their masters.

Bermuda’s African Diaspora Heritage Trail H i S T o r i c a l r E - E n a c T M E n T
(ADHT) is an o™ cially designated UNESCO

Slave Route; it plays an extraordinary role
in conserving and celebrating the origins of
African descent, culture and history in
Bermuda. There are more than fourteen
sites across the Island that are suitably
marked. Visitors should visit them to ap-
preciate the story of our past and to better
understand our Island today.

GOTOBERMUDA.COM 5