GIFF JOHNSON
Christmas in the Marshall Islands goes on for a while. Jeptas practice nightly in the lead up to December 25, when they showcase their dance routines, known locally as “biit,” and songs.
A number of jeptas will perform in multiple churches on Christmas Day. Many more arrange special performances at churches in the days following — at Laura Protestant Church, for example, various jeptas were scheduled for this past Saturday and Sunday.
They had a bit of a challenging time, however, getting hit mid-presentation by power outages both nights (and two on Sunday).
We were quite amazed at the response to the second power outage of the night that occurred Sunday in the middle of a choir song by the Lokonmok jepta.
In an instant, the entire church goes from brightly lit to total black, you can’t see your hand in front of you. This elicits groans and exclamations from the audience.
But the Lokonmok group didn’t miss a beat, continuing its signing in the darkness. Moreover, within five seconds, over 30 cell phones fired up their flashlights, lighting up the church.
Marshallese know how to roll when a kwon jarom hits.
Sunday night, power went off 5:30pm in Laura during church’s evening service. Power was restored about 6:30pm, only to go off again at 7:50pm. Power returned at 8:45pm and remained on.
Through it all, the performances continued.