Crucian Carnival: Christmas Tradition and Colonial Resistance

In St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, carnival is a massive, month-long Christmas celebration that spills out into the streets with huge parades, local food, and free concerts every night, from December 6th, all the way through Three Kings’ Day on January 6. Carnival is the one time of year the whole island “links up” to celebrate its rich history and culture through colorful costumes, loud music and good vibes. Carnival is celebrated differently across the world, with many cultures even hosting their celebrations at varying points of the calendar year. St. Croix’s carnival also showcases many festivals, parades, village nights and cultural exhibits during this time. We keep our history alive and culture strong during carnival through numerous outlets: the materials in our clothes — often made with a multicolored, patterned fabric called madras — the Soca, Bouyon, Calypso and Reggae music we play, and traditional foods. All of these practices are dedicated solely to highlighting the intricacies of Crucian identity. 

The Festival Village, colloquially referred to as just “Village” on the island, are the grounds where much of the festivities take place. The days after Christmas kick off the first two nights of Village, bringing with it the Princess and Queen shows as the two parts of the Miss St. Croix pageant. Despite its title, the pageant is gender neutral, allowing both young women and men to compete. The competition days are widely considered the “soft opening” to carnival, to which Governor Albert Bryan Jr. announced, the effective marking of December 28 as the official start date of Village. Village nights are essentially music festivals headlined by artists who specialize in a highlighted genre. With nights such as Calypso monarch, where Calypso artists compete to see who can get the crowd most involved  in  their performance.  The winner of this competition  receives a trophy and $10,000 cash. The same prizes are awarded for Soca monarch night. Soca is a music genre originated out of Trinidad and Tobago that is short for “the soul of calypso.” Despite these competitions, there are nights where numerous artists perform without a cash incentive, and the crowd comes exclusively  to appreciate the music and the artists on stage. The two biggest nights which celebrate music are Latin night, to show appreciation for our prominent Hispanic community on the island, and Reggae night which often pulls in the largest crowd overall. 

A staple of carnival is the Jouvert (pronounced joo-vay), which is done before the sunrise on a certain day within the span of December 31 and January 3.. The specific date depends on the official appointment of the Governer.. The term Jouvert itself is of French Creole origin from the 18th and 19th century during slavery and  means “day break” or “opening of the day.” After Emancipation in 1838, Jouvert became a celebration of liberation. People smeared themselves with oil, mud, and molasses to avoid being recognized by former masters and to symbolize their struggle, their connection to the earth and their new freedom. In the current day we cover ourselves in paint and powder — even though some still keep doing the oil as well. Unlike a standard parade where you watch from the sidewalk, at Jouvert, you are a part of it. You “ramp” — a form of shuffling walk/dance — behind massive trucks carrying live bands or DJs. 

The parades are the next event of carnival and they are separated into two days, so that the kids and adults have their own designated days for parade. The kids’ parade is always the first of the two, where we highlight the youth of the island. It serves as a rite of passage for the kids, where students from various schools and youth organizations showcase their talent and pride. This features the little majorettes, baton twirlers, the Rising Stars youth steel pan orchestra and many mini versions of traditional carnival troupes. Because it is shorter and more organized than the adult version, it is the preferred event for families with small children. You will see local youth royalty waving from the back of cars designed as small floats, and the float decoration themes often emphasize education, folklore and the preservation of Crucian heritage. The adult parade is the closer to carnival season where troupes of hundreds of people ramp down the road in Frederiksted, (the town on the west of the island). The troupes wear hand-crafted costumes layered with all kinds of feathers, gemstones and crystals which tell  stories about the troupe and the culture throughout the respective pieces of the costume. The same massive trucks used in the jouvert go down the road along with each troupe and carry these enormous speakers blasting Soca, Bouyon, or BRAM (bass, rhythm and melody) which has become a more recent cultural staple over the past ten years straight out of the Virgin Islands. While the Children’s Parade is about tradition and cuteness, the Adults Parade is about artistic competition, physical endurance, and pure celebration. It is here you will see the most spectacular Moko Jumbies and the massive, mechanical costumes of the "King and Queen of the Band" as they compete for the title of "Best Troupe" before the judging stands.