The Meaning behind Pumpkin Soup

By Nadine Augustin Paul, Child Advocate              

Haiti has a rich historical past; when you hear about this
country, your mind might immediately picture one of the most beautiful places
Christopher Columbus claimed to discover in 1492.  You might also think of the indigene army that
defeated Napoleon Bonaparte and his glorious French army in the fight for
freedom.  There is even more to Haiti
than this.

Since I was a child, Christmas in Haiti has been one of my
favorite holidays.  Everyone throughout
the whole country gets ready for this holiday.  Even if they don’t have money to decorate
their homes or buy new things, they still take advantage of the time to clean
everything in their houses.  Some go to
church on this night, and others share gifts with their loved ones and friends.  Some families also plan parties in order to
be together.

Growing older, I have come to love New Year’s Eve as well;
like Christmas Eve, everyone observes the holiday together.  Everyone always makes sure the New Year finds
them and their households clean. They like to start the New Year with a clean environment.

Early on January 1st, they prepare pumpkin soup to share
with everyone, as this is a tradition from our ancestors. It reminds us that
our slavery has passed, and that we fought for our freedom.  This traditional pumpkin soup is made up of pumpkin,
potatoes, celery, beef, plantains, and yams. Some people add pasta, such as spaghetti
or macaroni, or even rice, as my grandmother used to do. Even though it is
delicious with meat, I now prefer it with only vegetables, because according to
history, the new free men did not add meat to their pumpkin soup.

The most interesting thing on this day is the fact that
every house you visit will have pumpkin soup and hot chocolate prepared to
serve. However, even if you eat three bowls of pumpkin soup, because it is more
of an appetizer, you will still be hungry in a few hours.  Some households cook another meal in the
afternoon, but not all. In the countryside especially, families share pumpkin
soup with each other, so you will get to taste each household’s flavor. Some
will be tasteful, while others will be thrown away in the garbage after only
one taste.

My grandmother used to tell me that in the 70’s, children would
walk from home to home on New Year’s Day to wish their neighbors a happy new
year, and adults would give them a coin.
She would say that things have become very different, and that we have
lost most of our traditions. Some of these changes can be explained by internal
and external migration, and also the way new technology is used. For instance,
many people will post a picture of their soup on social media, or send New
Year’s greetings by text message.

My wish is that we never fail to honor the sacrifice our ancestors
made so we can be free today. My wish is that I will see a day where we
celebrate this freedom for real; where no child will wake up early to prepare
pumpkin soup – the symbol of our freedom – while feeling unequal to the other
kids in the household.

My wish for this year is that one day we will wake up and
say we are one, and that none of us should be treated with inequality.  That on this one day, eating pumpkin soup
will have real significance in our lives as the first black people to be freed
from slavery.

To learn more about Haiti and the issue of restavek, go to restavekfreedom.org.