New Year's Day... Soup Joumou Day...

The only thing that can separate me from my bowl of soup joumou today is...
"another bowl of soup joumou"
Article by: Woodring Saint Preux

If you are a real Haitian you will have one... or two... or three bowls of Soup Joumou on New Years day!

This is the The Most memorable day for us...

• We celebrate our Independence,
• We start the new year, and...
• We drink soup joumou with the ones we love.

 

Lè Premye Janvie rive,
Ayisyen bwè soup vant deboutonnen!

Oh what a Day!

What a way to close the Holiday Season!

When I was growing up in Hinche, Haiti, there was a list of places I used to go to drink my Soup Joumou every year.

 

• 1 bol kay Ton Matin with Chatou
• 1 bol kay mati with Janjan, Jude and Nounoune
• 1 bol kay madan Lorient with Gay and Jean Michel
• 1 bol kay Tant Jeanne with Marie Jose, Rosie, Papa Richard, and Kiki... right next to the "Radio Plateau Central"
• 1 bol kay madan Manno with Janjan and Liline

Every time my cousin Liline saw me she would scream one of two things...

"Men Zobop!" trying to scare me...

or she would scream...

"Doudou... Gesner Mouri!" 

She says when I was younger I used to reply "Gesner Mouri?... Gras Papa!..." and that was the famly joke.

 

 

When I was eight years old, I celebrated new years In Lascahobas, Haiti, a little place in the Plateau Central where I got to meet some the friendliest bunch of people.

 

Andre Bosquet volunteered to pick us up from Hinche because he did not want my father to spend New Years alone.

 

"Sa se kay Galbo?" I remember him shout when he got off the white Land Rover. 

 

"M-Vini chèche nou pou-m Mennen nou Lascahohas."

 

That was going to be my first time visiting Lascahobas.

 

January 1st... Same thing...

• 1 bol kay Madan Luthel with Assousoune and Chamoumoune,
• 1 bol kay Vierge with my buddy Maxo
• 1 bol kay Ti Pico, with my brother Evency. 

I remember that Bowl of soup at Ti Pico's house because my brother, when he finished drinking his bowl of soup, laid the dirty bowl on my chair and made me sit in the it. 

My new "Gwayabel" got dirty. 

Heah! Evency laughted all the way home and he told everybody.

 

When I became a teenager, I used to spend new years in Cite Militaire, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

January 1st... Same thing...

• 1 bol kay Okta with Goda and Fedno,
• 1 bol kay Madan Claude with Claudia, Ti Claude, Kaliko, and Harry,
• 1 bol kay Ton Wilfrid with Wesley and Shouby

I really wanted to taste the soup joumou at Kapiten Meto's house but I never got the chance to befriend his son.

 

Then I came to the United States. 

Spring Valley, New York... I did it all over again

 

• 1 bol kay Markes with Michelle and Brenda
• 1 bol kay Fanfi with Medge, Magg, and Lunzi
• 1 Bol kay Granma with Patrick, Destin, Sarah, and Michelle.
  
  For many years, me and Destin were always the first to taste Grandma's soup at Manmy Ken's house.
  
  Manmy Ken's House in SpringBrook Road was like "Big Mama's House", If you don't get there early you will not be drinking soup this year!

 

Soup Joumou
The Memories!

These are just some of the memories that Soup Joumou can bring back...

I hope your next bowl being back some memories for you as well...

Good Memories... 

I don't think that drinking soup Joumou on January 1st for a Haitian person is something... "Like This Like That!"

Soup joumou is one of the best and Oldest traditions we have.

The only thing that can separate me from my bowl of soup joumou is...

"another bowl of soup joumou".

Soup joumou is about sharing, it's about giving, it represents the most unifying symbol in the Haitian community.

If you are born and raised in America, you will never loose your Haitian Heritage if you simply drink one... or two... or three bowls of soup joumou every New Year's Day.

The Americans have their Turkey on Thanksgiving Day but I will tell you this much.

Happy New Year!

Happy Independence Day!

Peace and Love

Woodring Saint Preux