Celebrating Christmas West Indian style means Johncanoe, masquerade bands, plenty of food -- from roast beef, wild meat and pepper pot to sorrell and a dark rich rum-filled fruit cake which melts in your mouth.

West Indians celebrate Christmas in style with most of the preparations taking place on Christmas Eve.

People dance, bands play and plenty of food is eaten through the whole Christmas week.

Although Guyana is not really in the West Indies many think it is, especially the island's cricket players who mostly play for West Indian teams.

Mrs. Pansy Nichols of Guyana said Christmas is celebrated with masquerade bands that come out on Boxing Day while a steel band plays around the island on Christmas Eve.

"People dance behind the bands on the streets following them around much like Bermudians do with the gombeys,'' Mrs. Nichols said.

She added: "Traditionally, on Christmas day for breakfast we have pepper pot which is a dark stew made of a combination of meats and spices and it is cooked in an ingredient called casareep a bi-product of the cassava root.

"People normally eat it with homemade bread.'' Mrs. Nichols also said for Christmas dinner many families have roast pork with all the trimmings and for dessert everyone is treated to a piece of Guyana black cake which is a very dark rich fruit cake made very differently from what Bermudians know.

Presents are opened on Christmas day and the Christmas trees and decorations do not go up until Christmas Eve when everyone is having a party.

In Jamaica, Mrs. Beverly Cunningham said people dance in the streets at Johncanoe which is like a masquerade also similar to the gombeys.

"Christmas Eve is the big night for shopping.

"All the stalls are up and Christmas hats and favours are on sale,'' Mrs.

Cunningham said.

She added that families set a wood fire to steam the Christmas puddings all night in a big oil tin. "That is when everyone does all the cooking.

"Dishes such as Capon chicken, ham, roast beef, rice and peas are eaten at Christmas dinner along with drinking sorrell made out of the petals of a flower that only comes out at Christmas time and is mixed with rum for a little holiday flavour.

And for dessert Jamaicans also dip into Christmas pudding which in most cases contains "100 over proof rum'', served with hard sauce.

Mrs. Cunningham also said that Christmas day in Jamaica is a time when families go from house to house.

"Christmas is really an "all week'' celebration right up until the day. We go to church on Christmas morning and the night before we trim the tree.'' She added that the pantomime opens on Boxing Day which is "traditionally British''. "We are very British in that respect,'' she added.

Mr. Hector Watson of Barbados said there are a lot of parties during the Christmas holiday.

However, there is an abundance of activity in November due to Independence Day being on November 30. The month is filled with cultural performances and art shows, so December is a little less active.

"We go to sunrise service at 5 a.m. on Christmas morning and afterwards people go to Queens Park where the Police band plays.

"Everyone gets a chance to greet one another and relax,'' Mr. Watson said.

He added: "Then we go home and have breakfast consisting of cassava pone which is a pie similar to cassava pie but without the meat.'' For dinner we eat jug-jug which is made with meat and peas, sorrell, boiled and baked ham and coconut bread.

In Trinidad, Mr. Choy Aming said islanders party to Parang music which is the main music for Christmas. "It is somewhat like calypso but it has a French beat, it is the old music of Trinidad,'' Mr. Aming said.

He added: "For Christmas dinner you must have plantain, which is in the banana family, Tania -- a ground vegetable, and Dasheen -- which is also a vegetable that grows in the ground. Those are our authentic foods.

"Calalaoo leaf that is picked makes a spinach-like soup and we only eat fresh foul not chicken. Everything is fresh.'' Mr. Aming added Christmas dinner also consists of pastilles which is a cornmeal pattie made with meat.

"It is traditional that a Parang band go from house to house on Christmas Eve and they can arrive at anytime, we just welcome them in. They also play at the Christmas Eve mass.'' He also said that mauby a drink made from the bark of a tree and sorrell are used to toast in the holiday.

"On Boxing Day the big thing in Trinidad is horse racing, everyone goes to the horse races.'' MULTICULTURAL EVENING -- Students, family, and friends of Gilbert Institute culminated their week of multiculturalism by dining on foods of the world last week. Students at the school have been studying artwork and various other aspects relating to multicultralism which is also the topic of Education Month in February. Pictured from left are Ms Carol Figuelredo, Ms Mano Chelvan, Subha Chelvam, Nighanthi Bailey, Ms Suzan Davis and Ms Judith Anderson.

JAMAICAN CHRISTMAS DISH -- Mrs. Agatha Thomas of the Jamaican Grill Restaurant holds a scrumptious traditional Christmas dish in Jamaica.