Christmas Fun!

I love the Christmas season. There seems to be something different in the air. The breeze itself is a lot cooler. It’s cooler because of the cold winter breeze that come from the northern countries, but still it never gets cold, as it’s still warm enough to sun bathe and also wear shorts in the evening. There are numerous festivals that happen in St.Vincent and the Grenadines. The capital itself comes alive at night as a result of the stores being open a lot later than normal. There are also a lot of other activities that cater to the large crowds that sweep into town. Christmas shopping in St.Vincent therefore becomes an event. People come to Town(as Kingstown , the capital is referred to) to meet their friends, to enjoy live music, have a drink at one of the nearest bars or actually do some shopping.

Many young people come to the capital on the Sundays leading up to Christmas to ‘lime’, which is Caribbean for ‘hanging out ‘ and having a good time with one’s friends. On Sundays i the stores open their doors open until late into the night. The bars play popular music and the vibes are vibrant with specials on beverages throughout the night.

At the beginning of the season there is the “Lighting of the Tree”, a large tree in Kingstown is usually decorated with lights and these lights are turned on at the beginning of the season. Many Vincentians come into the Capital to view this event which normally takes place on a Sunday.

There is normally a band of Parang musicians who play music for the people who are walking around in town. Parang is a mixture of Caribbean and Spanish rhythms . They play a variety of Christmas carols and have been doing this for as long as I can remember. Another group play Christmas carols on miniature steel pans. This group is called the Bamboo Melodians, as their music is usually accompanied with locally made bamboo flutes..

The main event that is associated with the Christmas in St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the ‘Nine Mornings festival . It starts at exactly 9 days away from Christmas and ends at Christmas Eve. The festivities start in the early hours in the morning and there are performances by dancers, steel orchestras and also entertaining games. This has become an official annual event that caters to the young and the young at heart. Visitors and locals alike participate in the activities, and everyone has a great time. Of course you are still expected to get to work for 8.00 am.!