In this story from our archives reported in 1922, the Cape Argus shares a story of how Cape Town was a city of light and noise on Christmas Eve back in 1922.
As part of our festive season content, the Cape Argus retrieved articles from its archives looking at what made news in 1922 and 2002.
The article below was published in the Cape Argus dated Cape Town, Tuesday, December 26, 1922.
(Note: The author of the original article is not mentioned or referred to in the article.)
Laughing crowds and a South-Easter: Christmas in Cape Town
When police made merry - Revelry in Adderley Street
Cape Town was a city of light and noise on Christmas Eve. Representatives of “The Argus” describe the merry-making in this article.
The city has been strangely deserted since that noisy night. Christmas Day seems to have been celebrated quietly, at home.
Today everyone is in the open air, at the seaside, on the mountain, or on Table Bay.
Special to The Argus
Crowd, noise, laughter day and night, and a South-Easter. Thousands of people, young and old (mostly young), pushing and jostling each other and walking, walking, ever on the move and following a blind path like ants.
Christmas Eve in Adderley Street
“Smile, smile, can’t you?” she shouted and flicked a paper streamer in his face. He smiled. She was a merry young thing, hatless and high-spirited, and she hung onto the arm of a young giant twice her size.
He too looked supremely happy, and neither of them could understand a man wearing a serious face on Christmas Eve in Adderley Street.
So the girl flicked the paper streamer in his face and there was an immediate increase to the number of revellers.
Mysterious and Ludicrous
Carnival and contempt for dust and wind. In places the street was so crowded that people had to stand face to face or shoulder to shoulder and wait. They could not move.
During the little interludes, when for a time there was a temporary lull in the explosion of crackers and the throwing of confetti, you had time to take more careful stock of the people around.
There were various races and various colours, and some of them, in real carnival spirit, were wearing black dominoes or paper noises making them appear respectively mysterious and ludicrous.
In exchange place, a band was playing and occasionally it could be heard above the hubbub. Noise seems to be what everyone was principally aiming at.
Those who couldn’t hear themselves talk just shouted, yelled or sang and the row that they made was supplemented by ear-shocking sounds of rattles, trumpets and fog signals.
All this and no doubt if it came to an argument the Capetonian would claim that he was undemonstrative in comparison with the Continental. He should be in the Piazza San Marco, Venice, on a gala night.
A Blaze of light
If there was a special attraction centre for Saturday night it was the Pier, which was a blaze of light produced by a network of coloured lamps – thousands of them forming a wonderful trellised arch.
“Never seen the Pier look so attractive for years as it does tonight,” was the comment of one of the city’s “old guard”, and no doubt the sentiment was re-echoed scores of times.
Light may almost be said to be the parent of gravity and on this occasion it certainly acted as a big stimulant to the fun and merriment that were abroad.
From the De Waal Drive and the end of the promenade, the scene was a striking one and worth all the trouble that had been taken in creating it.
Ten thousand people paid for admission to the Pier on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday night there was non-stop dance, two orchestras providing the music and until midnight hundreds of gay spirits “chased the fleeting hours with flying feet”.
It was all a very successful and happy night in spite of the wind, which at times threatened to become troublesome. People came into the city from near and distant suburbs and all the trains were crowded.
Next morning the scene was a sorry one and the old road sweepers with their brooms and pans mumbled strange things to themselves as they surveyed the lump of evidence of the night before. And no doubt there was more than a bit of truth in their whispers.
A Centurion celebrates
Christmas was fittingly celebrated in all parts of the city and suburbs. Festive gatherings were held at the hotels and boarding houses yesterday and dancing was carried on until the early hours of this morning.
Although the number of visitors was not perhaps so great as it has been in times past, everything was carried out on the usual lavish scale.
Happy little parties were held at hospitals.
In addition to having a bigger dinner, every patient in the Old Somerset Hospital received a parcel containing dainties and Christmas cheer and a specially made-up package was given to the oldest patient who claims to have lived 100 years, and who is still going strong.
At the YMCA the usual Christmas breakfast was held, Dr Dommisse presiding over a company numbering 20. Speeches were delivered by Brigadier-General Tanner and the Rev PGJ Meiring and sympathetic reference was made to the death of Mr FI Earp of Rondebosch.
The Cape Town police celebrated Christmas in style at the barracks in Wale Street.
Captain Chisholm and Inspector Jerome visited the men during dinner and wished them the compliments of the season and Captain Chisholm paid a personal tribute to the efficiency and excellent conduct of the men during the past twelve months and said they were a credit to the force.
Sergeant Owen briefly responded. Captain Chisholm and Inspector Jerome afterwards visited the stations at Sir Lowry Road and Woodstock, where similar ceremonies took place.
Boxing Day
Most people in the city continued their holiday today and there was little activity in the streets this morning. An occasional group of coloured “buskers” was seen in the principal thoroughfares and there was some weird music and some weirder dancing.
Many of the masqueraders were competitors in the forthcoming coloured carnival at the Cycle Track and were just taking advantage of the present occasion to rehearse their performances and “accumulate a little wealth”.