Creole Heritage Saint Lucia
Creole Heritage Month in Saint Lucia
Bon Jou, Bon Fete Kweyol, Sa Ka Fete! Are just a few of the friendly greetings that you receive in Saint Lucia during creole heritage month in October. The main aim of the Creole Heritage month this year is the discovery of the skill and abilities of St. Lucians which keeps with the theme for this year; ‘Decouve Sent Lisi’, ‘Decouve Ko’w’.
Creole Day
There are activities all around St. Lucia, which began with a grand launch in the community of Choiseul. Every weekend, persons get the opportunity to showcase the island’s rich culture, history and heritage. They display talents and expertise of each community through music, theatre, visual arts, poetry and most importantly culinary arts.The final weekend culminates with a mixture of all these unique activities in the two host towns of Vieux Fort and Soufriere. Both nationals and visitors will flock to enjoy the festivities.
The official Jounen Kweyol (Creole Day) happens on the last Sunday of October. On this day; many local delicacies are sold such as bakes, accras, cocoa tea and green figs and saltfish just to name a few. Nationals are also seen wearing the national wear called the ‘Wob Dwiyet’ which is made from the Madras fabric that became part of our culture through colonization by the British Empire.
The activities surrounding Jounen Kweyol are symbolic of the island’s African heritage such as the specialty dances and the native French-Creole language which is a unique blend of French, English and African dialects, which is spoken at all the events hosted in creole month.
Cultural & Heritage Tours
Barefoot Holidays, has found a way to preserve the culture and tradition of the island through its Essence of St. Lucia Tour, which includes a visit to a mini museum, where persons can tour and view the wide array of artifacts and relics from our ancestors on display. They also have the opportunity to taste many of the delicacies that are typically sold during Creole Heritage month.