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Houses in the Bahamas for wealthy people are very extravagant and detailed. One thing that is very different is the outside. The outsides of these houses have many different features. Outside of some wealthy bahamian houses, there are pavilions made with white stone. Sometimes, there will be bamboo or straw huts to add to the scenario, and make it look more rustic. In addition, most of the insides of the houses are open and give or reflect light. Most houses also have several different terraces that can either illuminate or darken your home. Most kitchen appliances are hidden or covered to create a fresh feeling of nature while within the house. These houses also have many similarities and differences from traditional houses in the Bahamas. Older houses were made to reflect heat in the summer, so they featured special windows, and pale colors to not let heat in or out of the house. They were built from wood planks, but surprisingly hold up shape very well. They were built at such an angle that they can reflect wind. Houses in the Bahamas are very fancy and have lots of thought to make them look very natural and rustic.

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Houses in the Bahamas have changed a lot over time for middle class, and less wealthy people. For example, houses in the Bahamas have a lot of features to stabilize them in the case of a hurricane. For example, the houses have sloped roofs, and they have developed to be made out of concrete to have them stay up. However, if you are poorer, your houses may be a little different. For example, less wealthy people build their own houses, and it can take 4-5 years. Also, their houses may be made of wooden planks instead of concrete. The houses for less wealthy people in the Bahamas are special, and have many important aspects.

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The Eleuthera Pineapple Festival  is another unique festival in the Bahamas.  This festival was first celebrated in 1988, in the place called Gregory Town. When the soldiers would come home from their deployment, they would place a pineapple on their gate, since the pineapple is a symbol of hospitality. Today, this festival is a sort of homecoming for Bahamian families. In the Bahamas, there is a wide variety of activities on this day. There is a pineapple eating contest, where people eat as much pineapple as possible.Another activity that takes place is the all famous “Little Miss Pineapple” pageant. There are bike races, up to forty miles, and a triathalon. Food is another important part of the Pineapple Festival. Pineapple fried rice is a dish that is widely eaten. It is regular fried rice, but with a Bahamian twist; spicy peppers, pineapples, and nuts. Pineapple pie is also very popular, not only on the festival, but all of the time. It is the same as any other pie, but made with lots of pineapples inside. This festival is very special, in its history and festivities, and is special to the people in the Bahamas.

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Junkanoo is undoubtedly the most popular and extravagant festival in the Bahamas. This holiday was originally celebrated by the slaves, who would get three days off around Christmas. They would rejoice and celebrate. Nowadays, Junkanoo is a fun holiday for Bahamians and is an icon of black culture.  One of the most important parts of Junkanoo is the parades. Music, dance, and art are all aspects of these parades. The parades are celebrated on December 26, and January 1, New Year's Day. Another important of Junkanoo is the costumes. People make very elaborate and colorful costumes to wear, out of many different materials, and like to wear them in parades. People also eat a variety of foods on Junkanoo. People eat things called Conch fritters, or fried Conch, and more american things like macaroni and chicken wings. Junkanoo is a significant and special aspect of Bahamian culture.

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Video recorded our first time at Junkanoo, it was an amazing experience! If you ever get a chance to see it in Nassau, Bahamas, I'd make all efforts to see it! December 26, 2013.

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Many instruments are used to make music in the Bahamas. Goatskin drums which are drums made out of animal skins, play a variety of music. Saws and maracas are widely used as well. Steel drums are used throughout all of the Caribbean.  Cowbells and tambourines are also traditional instruments. There are many popular types of music in the Bahamas. Soca music is US soul music mixed with caribbean music. Meringue is music from the Dominican Republic which is also very popular to dance to. Music during the Junkanoo festival has a heavy beat and is very joyful. Bahamas music is very special and different than other music types.

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Bahamas is the 109th country in my music/travel series.

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There are many types of Visual arts in the Bahamas. One art form is straw weaving. Traditionally, straw was used to make a variety of art such as  baskets to carry fruit, and even fish trapping baskets. Straw  was also used for hats. Today, straw artwork and wood artwork is still sold to tourists in the “Straw Market” in the city of Nassau. Another art form is paintings. People typically paint houses, islands, and other landscapes, using canvases and a variety of colors. People also make carvings. They are typically carved in flat stone, or coral break offs and drifting coral. They carve these by hand, and they are very unique, like all art in the Bahamas.

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Life  and culture in the Bahamas also is greatly influenced by food and clothing. Food in the Bahamas is very important. For breakfast, many people eat grits with either eggs or another type of protein. For lunch and dinner, vegetables, rice, meat, and other foods like macaroni are eaten. Conch is a very popular food in the Bahamas.  It is a mollusk (type of fish) and can be eaten in several different ways, including uncooked, marinated, fried, or in conch salad. Clothing in the Bahamas is also different. Normally, people wear the same clothes as you and me. However, people also wear bright costumes for festivals and holidays.

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Life in the Bahamas is very different than other countries. The life expectancy is 70  years for males and 72 years for women. The literacy rate  is 94.7 for males and 96.5 for females. Education in the Bahamas is also very different than the United States. It has changed a lot over the years too. For example, as little as 50 years ago, there were 40 kids with just one teacher in a classroom. They used slates, worn textbooks, and bad furniture. Now, school is different. It is broken up into three sections. Ages 5-11 are in primary school. Ages 11-14 are in Junior High, and ages 14-17 are in Senior High. Work in the Bahamas revolves mostly around tourism, and many people work in hotels, stores, and restaurants. Bahamas work and education very important aspects of the country.

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Many different holidays are celebrated annually in the Bahamas. An important holiday is Emancipation Day. This holiday is celebrated on the first monday of August. It celebrates the end of slavery in the Bahamas and is widely  celebrated. People do many things on water, and one of the most popular is sailing regattas (sailing races).  In addition, there are many other Christian holidays celebrated. Easter is very popular, and people traditionally eat a fish meal on Good Friday. Christmas is celebrated as well. Labor Day is celebrated on the first friday in June. The Bahamas has a variety of holidays, that are very special to the country.

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The Bahamas is a very diverse country, religion wise. The main religion is Protestantism. The protestants are a type of Christianity, which is not Roman Catholicism. The  main types of Protestantism are Baptism and Anglican. However, there are also many other religions. There is a big population of Orthodox Greeks, and minor populations of Jews, Hindus, and Muslims. No matter what religion in the Bahamas, everyone takes their religion very seriously, and does lots of religious practices.

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Although the Bahamas is very different to the US, they had many historical ties to it. For instance, in the Revolutionary War, the Bahamas were, although not a part of the war, loyalists. It was a place where many loyalists came from the colonies to live under the Britain flag. Even now, the Bahamas are greatly influenced by the pop culture, economics, and polotics of the United States, since so much of their income comes from United States residents. The Bahamas history and present is greatly tied to what happens in the United States.

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There were many people who settled in the Bahamas much before the people who are there today did. The first settlers were the Arawak tribe, who came sometime between 5 and 8 hundred AD. The next person to discover the Bahamas was the all-famous Christopher Columbus. He came in 1492. After he discovered the Bahamas, many spaniards came as well. The Arawak were eventually sold to become slaves, or killed by diseases like measles and influenza, that the Spanish brought with them. All of them were wiped out by 1515.

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The Bahamas currency is called the Bahamian dollar (pictured below.) It’s value is tied to the United States dollar. This is because of one main reasons. This is because it makes it easier for tourists when they come to the Bahamas. The average household income of the Bahamas is 21,280 dollars per year. Another reason why the currency is tied to that of the United States is because many Bahamas residents go to the United States to buy things, because it is cheaper due to less exporting costs.

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There are many ways that the Bahamas can earn money. The main workforce in the Bahamas is tourism. It employs almost half of the workers, and brings 5-6 million people annually, raking in lots of money. There are also many imports and exports to and from the Bahamas. The main export is passenger ships, bringing in seven hundred twenty-eight million dollars. The second biggest export is petroleum, (oil.) This brings in four hundred nineteen million dollars. The biggest imports in the Bahamas are passenger, cargo, and ships for “special purposes”. Together, this brings in 3.59 billion dollars. The ways of making money in the Bahamas mostly come from imports and exports, but tourism also plays a big part.

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There are many leaders who are just as important to the Bahamas as the parts of their government. One very important person is the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is essentially the head of the government. He runs everything, appointees people, and decides when and what things happen. He serves for as long as the Governor General would like, which is usually five years. The current prime minister’s name is Hubert Minnis. Another very important leader is the Governor General. The current Governor General is named Marguerite Pindling. She is the representative to the Commonwealth of nations. There, her job is to try and vote on laws for the good of the Bahamas. The last overall leader of the Bahamas is Queen Elizabeth II. She is the leader of the Commonwealth of nations and essentially passes most of the Bahamas’ big laws.

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The government in the Bahamas has many components that all function together to make the laws of the Bahamas. The Bahamas are part of the commonwealth of nations. This is a group of nations which has one communal leader. Each country has a representative who serves in this group, called  the govener general. However, this is not the only factor of government in the Bahamas. There is the House of Assembly. This is a group of thirty-nine representatives, who have about 5 year terms and are voted on. The senate, is made up of sixteen representatives, and they are  appointed by the Prime minister, the leader of all Bahamas based government, and also by the governor general. Overall, the Bahamas government has many different assets, and they are all important to their well functioning society.