Festivities
Any excuse to come together as a community, whether it be a holiday or not, is a time for celebration for people on Nevis.
Holidays are always an important part of community celebration on Nevis. One of the largest celebrations occurs during Culturama, a Nevisian carnival held in late July or early August. After starting in 1974, Culturama is time for Nevisians who have moved off island to come back and celebrate their heritage with friends and family.
Christmas into the New Year is also a particularly special time for many Nevisians. Charlestown is lit with twinkling lights shining off strings of metallic garland throughout the month of December. On Christmas Eve, many shops stay open late into the night, as people go gift shopping while coming together for the festivities in the center of town.
Regardless of the holiday, celebrations on Nevis always include entertainment from various musicians or cultural groups. Energetic and vibrantly dressed masquerade dancers perform traditional dances, a common practice across the Caribbean. Nevisian masquerade dancers are adorned with colorful strips of fabric that move as they jump, along with crowns of peacock feather representing macaw palm trees in bloom. Music from groups like Honey Bees String Band accompanies many celebrations. From the sound of wispy flutes to strumming guitars and the clang of steel drums, musicians of all ages play the sound of the Caribbean. Young children also join in on the festivities by performing choreographed dances. Yet crowds are always most pleased by the spectacle of moko jumbies, where men dressed bright clothing with crowns walk on stilts six to eight feet tall.
Below are some photos from the Christmas celebration held at The Hermitage, with all of the performers mentioned above:
