Expedition Jamaica Magazine

Myths and superstitions play an integral role in Jamaican folklore. Most of them that exist here were derived from the enslaved Africans who came to Jamaica from societies that were rich in myths and superstitions. Their preservation, throughout the years, has been facilitated by Afro-Jamaican practices such as oral tradition.

Kumina is an Afro-Jamaican religious belief system and practice. The movement took form particularly in the 1850s with the influx of African indentured immigrants from the Congo region of Central Africa during the immediate post-emancipation period. Kumina evolved strongest in St. Thomas where it is said that a large percentage of the immigrants settled. However over the years and through migration the practice has spread to areas in Kingston, St. Catherine, St. Mary and Portland.

Sorrel is a popular plant which is used for various purposes at Christmastime in Jamaica. It was introduced in Jamaica shortly after the arrival of the British, however, it originated in Sudan.