Stuart Jack

A wet weekend of celebration and remembrance

This past weekend provided many people in the Cayman Islands with a four day break – either side of the weekend were public holidays, a one-off this year on Friday for the start of the new Constitution and a regular one on Monday for Remembrance Day. 

A reminder of Cayman’s propensity to flood 

Unlike most in sunny Cayman it was not a great weekend for beach lovers. Fortunately this year’s hurricane season has been kind to us so far with only some three weeks to go. But as Tropical Storm Ida passed by all three islands had a lot of rain, leading to some local flooding. 

We celebrate a new Constitution and we remember those who have died in war 

On Friday we celebrated the new Constitution of the Cayman Islands (see my blog for 7 November). 

A more solemn ceremony was held on Sunday 8^th for Remembrance Day. The rain forced it inside – into the splendid setting of Elmslie Memorial Church, sometimes known as Cayman’s cathedral. I actually thought this in many ways a better place for the ceremony than outside – the atmosphere was solemn and the music sounded splendid, and there was not the usual problem of members of the parade, particularly children, fainting in the heat (8 apparently did at the Constitution event). But the wreaths had to be laid at the altar rather than the war memorial (see the clip on www.cayman27.com.ky ). 

Just as the rain paused on Friday for the Constitution ceremony, so it did on Sunday when we emerged from the church to walk to the second memorial where wreaths are traditionally laid, that to Caymanian seamen. Many Caymanians fought at sea in WW2. 

Posted at 02:14 12 November 2009 by Stuart Jack  |  Comments[0]