One thing you need to know about Jamaicans is that we are some of the most superstitious people on the planet. Growing up in rural Jamaica means walking on dark streets past cemeteries many of the times when you need to go somewhere. Some people even joke that this is why Jamaicans are such fast runners. Children usually sprint between the sparsely populated streetlights when they must go long distances at night. That is because “Duppy” or Ghost is a very common part of Jamaican culture. In fact, calling someone a “duppy” is sometimes used as an insult.

Passing Jamaican Cemeteries at Night

 Most cemeteries in the country are located in remote and sparsely populated places. These areas are typically remote backroads that don’t have many streetlights, which can get you to see things when nothing is there. Kids in these areas would usually play football or cricket till the sun went down. That means the kids that lived farthest away were the ones who would have to make the journey back home through these scary areas. The kids will often stick together to avoid having any problems with seeing ghosts or having other things happen when they make that journey.

Running Near Cemeteries at Night

The kids decided to go as a group because they felt safer that way. However, one of them said he saw a ghost. He freaked out and started to run as quickly as possible down the road. The other people followed suit without even thinking about what was going on. Most of them didn’t even know what they were looking for, but the sight of something in the distance was enough to set them all off. They were really scared, which is why they were pushing so hard to reach home quickly. This is the way life is in Jamaica, and sometimes you have crazy things like this going down with the kids trying to explore and running into issues. 

Growing Up in Jamaica

Times like these really made Jamaican kids appreciate being in the country. It might have been scary at the moment, but kids look back on those times and remember when they could roam free around with no concerns about their physical safety from other people. They had the ability to manage themselves in a way most kids can’t imagine today.