How South Florida Celebrates Christmas: African American, Caribbean, and African Traditions and History of Black Santa

For Black families across South Florida — whether African American, Caribbean, or African — the holidays are a time to claim joy and visibility. Just as the rise of the Black Santa challenged racist imagery and affirmed Black identity in the U.S., Caribbean, and African traditions keep cultural memory alive in a region shaped by migration. Together, these symbols and traditions form a shared diasporic celebration that reflects both history and home.

While the traditions of Black Santa in the Caribbean and Africa are often rooted in local folk figures, the American-based image has a powerful, political history that adds deep meaning to representation today.

Hy Lo News has reported on how these traditions come alive locally, including Broward’s African American Research Library and Cultural Center’s annual Soulful Christmas celebration. 

According to the Tennessee Tribune, the earliest U.S. portrayals of a Black Santa figure, dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were sadly part of blackface minstrel traditions and vaudeville acts, used by white entertainers to mock and depict Black people as inferior. Accounts as late as 1915 show segregationist President Woodrow Wilson being “wildly entertained” by a Black Santa caricature during a holiday celebration.

Black educators, business leaders, and civic reformers deliberately set out to reclaim and reshape the image. They promoted the “Negro Santa Claus” as a way of elevating Black self-esteem and countering racist portrayals.

In the Civil Rights era, Black Santa became a symbolic figure in the postwar African American freedom struggle, as reported by Bunk History. In the 1950s and 60s, the “Civil Rights Santa” was used by groups like the NAACP to promote “good interracial feelings” and draw attention to racial discrimination.

Today, the visibility of Black Santas—whether in a South Florida mall, a neighborhood church, or on a greeting card—is seen as a powerful symbol of representation, identity, and the progress made in the long fight for true inclusion.

The true heart of the diasporic holiday lies in the kitchen, a sacred space where the scents of home signal the start of the season. For many Black millennials whose first-generation parents or grandparents migrated to the U.S., the cooking process is the most vital tradition.

Caribbean Feast: The centerpiece is often the famous Black Cake (or Christmas Pudding), a dense, dark dessert soaked for months—sometimes a full year—in rum, port wine, and spices. Alongside it, tables are piled high with:

Jamaica: Sorrel (a tart red drink brewed from hibiscus) and Curried Goat.

Trinidad & Tobago/Guyana: Pastelles (similar to tamales, steamed cornmeal filled with seasoned meat) and the joyous, spicy soup Pepperpot.

Haiti: Griot (fried pork) and Pikliz (spicy slaw) served alongside Soup Joumou, traditionally enjoyed on New Year’s Day to celebrate independence.

African holiday meals in South Florida often focus on special occasion dishes rarely made throughout the year. Jollof Rice remains a staple, often cooked with goat or poultry. For West African families, the preparation of huge batches of Fufu and Egusi or Ogbono soup transforms the gathering into a communal event, ensuring every cousin and friend gets a taste of their motherland.

Ultimately, in South Florida, the true meaning of Christmas is found in the joyful, uncompromising fusion of Black global traditions, where every bite of Pepperpot and every sighting of Soul Santa affirms a beautiful diaspora identity. 

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