Colors of Grenadines - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Planning a trip to Saint Vincent, you have to remember that it’s not a good idea to start conversations about colonies and the way Europeans treat locals here. Descendants of black-skinned slaves, who were firstly appearing on the island after shipwrecks and then they were brought here to work on plantations by Englishmen and Frenchmen, are the majority of the local population. Then there are Mulattos, and white Europeans constitute only about a tenth of the whole population of the island. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that people on Saint Vincent have a negative attitude to Europeans. They just don’t like remembering those times when their ancestors were under the control of other people. Moreover, they don’t approve of this topic at all.

Despite the island’s colonial past, locals don’t hate the Royal Family. It’s actually not ok to insult the British Crown, as locals won’t approve it. Even though all the islanders speak English, you mostly won’t have an opportunity to talk to them, whether you speak the language perfectly well or not. The reason for it is that people who live in towns far from the capital and touristic destinations speak only Creole. This dialect is enriched by borrowings from other languages. The dialect sounds quite complicated for foreigners because of a great amount of African, French, Portuguese, and Danish words and expressions.

The locals are positive about tourists. And it’s not a surprise – there are lots of workplaces thanks to travelers. True British manners are peculiarly mixed with Caribbean state of relaxation here. Besides, even a complete workaholic would forget everything and just fall into an eternal summer here on Saint Vincent. However, there is one important thing you have to keep in your mind: people of Saint Vincent are not that punctual or responsible. Perhaps, it’s all because of local caressing sun and warm sea, or a strong will to live better than their ancestors who had been spending the whole day working on plantations. Nevertheless, that’s a fact: it’s a common thing for people here to postpone until tomorrow. And this «tomorrow» would repeat again and again until you get tired of reminding them about their promise. At the same time, one can’t call locals selfish. They simply don’t like refusing; it’s just easier for them to avoid a subject or to hide behind excuses. One more significant fact is that it’s forbidden to take anything you would find on the bottom of the sea as well as some kinds of corals with you. So, don’t trust those salesmen who would try to sell you an ancient compass which was allegedly found on a pirate frigate. Firstly, a compass is most likely not ancient at all. Secondly, it would cost tremendously much. Tourists are the source of income here, that’s why some locals find it perfectly fine to get money from them selling various knick-knacks and self-made stuff several times more expensive than it should be. There are almost no violent crimes – especially regarding tourists. On the other hand, pickpocketing is quite a common case, so you’d better keep all the values you’d take with you in a hotel’s safe. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The locals are pretty religious. About three-quarters of the population are Protestants; those who belong to Catholic, Christian, Hindu, or Muslim denominations make up a minority. All in all, there is a modern view of religion on the island. People here strongly believe that spiritual life is a private matter. Moreover, it’s pretty a peculiar thing that African belief in spirits and talismans is still «alive» here. In addition, it’s intertwined with typical European concepts of God. Anyway, don’t judge the religious beliefs of the islanders if you don’t want them to turn against you.

People here celebrate Church holidays in a big way. During such holidays as Christmas, Virgin birth of Jesus, Good Friday, Clean Monday, All Saints’ Day people go to churches and spend their time at home with their families. Concerning social events, the locals celebrate them holding public events, street marches, songs, and dances. New Year, Liberation Day, Independence Day, Labor Day – all these are good reasons to have some fun. Annual Carnival is quite fascinating even too. People organize diverse joking contests, performances of magicians and musicians, the streets are full of people in colourful costumes. Moreover, Folk music festival, which takes place in the capital several times a year, attracts tourist from all over the world.