What's Happening in St. Lucia
The
St. Lucian year is marked by a multitude of festive events, from
Carnival and Calypso celebrations to world-class tennis
tournaments and weekly street parties. For music lovers, the best
bet of the year is the annual St. Lucia Jazz Festival, a four-day
extravaganza, May 8th-11th, attracting some of the world's very
best performers to the island.
January
- New Year's Day
- Asou Skwe
- Masquerade
- Toes/Papa Djab
- Cricket Season
- Calypso
Calypso tents are a major
attraction during Calypso season. Each tent is comprised of a
number of calypsonians who organize a series of shows leading up
to the main calypso competition, to introduce the public to their
songs for the current year. There is a high level of audience
participation as a commentary on the people's acceptance or
rejection of the talent. Opening of Cricket season marks increased
inter-community activity.
February
Independence for St. Lucia was
achieved in 1979. Historical symbolism is treated with great pride
by St. Lucia in conjunction with:
- Anniversary
- Calypso
- Carnival
- Ash Wednesday
- Lent/Kawem
- Kite Flying
The highlight of February is
preparations for Carnival, a gala event with activities held
throughout St. Lucia. Various camps are set up for the production
of costumes for the many shows and street parades. Under the
guidance of designers and band leaders, individual and group
costumes are created for band members. Calypso tents are now in
full swing and contenders for the "King" and
"Queen" crowns are now rising. Short fun filled month.
March
Traditional Lent Period
Calmer tropical weather period supports many
marine based activities.
April
- All Fools' Day
- Lent
- Holy Week
- Good Friday
- Easter Sunday
The days of Holy Week are the most
solemn on the St. Lucian calendar. The dominant Catholic
traditions are most evident at this time, particularly on Good
Friday, a day of church services and restraint from pleasurable
things. Highlights of the meal on this day is "Akwa" or
fish cake, and pain d' espices (penepis), a thin oval biscuit.
Easter Sunday resembles Christmas Day with its church services,
gift-giving and fetes. End of lent season and season of
abstinenence celebrated with dates and banquets after forty day
abstinence.
May
- Labour Day
- Mother's Day
- African Liberation Day
- Whitsuntide
- Aqua Action
June
- Father's Day
- Fisherman's Feast/Fet Peche
- Corpus Christi
- St. Lucia Squash Open
The Fisherman's Feast begins
with a church service, followed by the blessing of gaily decorated
boats and boat sheds on the beaches. Feasting and merrymaking
lasts the whole day into the early morning hours.
St. Lucia Squash Open: World
renown squash players get together with amateurs for a casual but
very competitive event.
July-Sept.
Kids' Safari Summer. This event
brings together local and visiting children, between the ages
of 5 to 18, to learn about St. Lucia's environment, nature,
folk traditions and history. Activities include hiking,
canoeing, craft making, birdwatching and photography.
Traditional Holiday period for students:
- round-island field trips
- Kid's Safari Summer
- various community day
celebrations
- Fisherman's feast
August
- Emancipation Day
- Fet Wivandez/Market Vendors
Feast
- Fet La Woz/The Rose Festival
- Major Flower Festival
The market vendors celebrate
their feast day with a religious service, followed by a
festival of food, song, dance and general merriment in the
island's various markets. The Castries market is usually the
main center of activities. The Rose Festival honors the
rose with great pomp and ceremony, including a royal kingdom
complete with king, queen, dignitaries and loyal subjects.
There is a grand party at which no expense is spared to make
the day successful. The Market Vendor's Feast brings
out vivid cultural expressions.
October
- Thanksgiving Day
- Jounen Kweyol
- Entennasyonal (International
Creole Day)
- Bill Fish Tournament
On International Creole Day,
St. Lucians join hands with kweyol-speaking people around the
world in solidarity and in celebration of their exciting
common culture. Special activities include preparation of
traditional foods, exhibitions of traditional items and
folklore.
Jounen Kweyol celebrated in
different communites where kweyol speaking people congreate to
enjoy traditional foods, folklore, and other traditional
exhibitions.
November
- All Saints Day
- All Souls Day (Fet Le Mo)
- Remembrance Day
- St. Cecilia's Day
- ARC - major yacht event
- International Food Fair
On All Souls Day, St.
Lucians remember their departed loved by keeping a vigil lamp
burning in their homes, beautifying cemeteries, repainting
tombs and laying fresh flowers or wreaths on graves. Remembrance
Day honors those who fought in the two World Wars with
wreaths, ceremonial parades and parties. Poppies and stickers
are sold to help aid families of ex-servicemen. St.
Cecilia's Day honors the patron saint of music and
musicians with a church service, street music and sporting
events for musicians. At ARC, the major yacht event,
boaters can enjoy fine facilities available to yachters.
December
- National Day
- National Day Festivals
- Christmas Day
- Masquerade
- Legends Tournament
December in St. Lucia is a
month-long festival, revolving around National Day
celebrations and the Christmas season. The focus on National
Day is building pride in the country with sporting, cultural,
religious, social, and commercial activities, such as the
Festival of Lights, featuring a lantern-making competition and
the decoration of towns and villages with lights. Other events
include the National festival of choirs, a festival of bands
and a market festival akin to the market vendors feast day.
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