Saint Lucia And Its Culture

Every Caribbean Island is unique, whether it is because of its culture, history or formation. Saint Lucia offers a volcanic island, with Gran Piton Mountain as its highest point. Visitors can enjoy various on and off-island activities such as scuba diving, sailing, hiking, and zip-lining tours. Before visiting the island, you may want to know a bit more about its culture.

Saint Lucia was not established by one country or people. Instead, a mixture of people came to the island bringing their beliefs and traditions. Many of the cultures are represented today by the holidays and festivals hosted throughout the year. Britain and France did fight over the island with changes in government control for several years. Thankfully, those fights are over, and you will see British and Creole influences depending on the parts of the island you visit.

One of the claims to fame on the island is the banana exportation. They are a leader in exporting bananas worldwide and offer six different varieties. In addition, as a tropical paradise, the island provides mangoes, pineapples, papayas, coconuts, guavas, passionfruit, and much more.

Anyone who loves seafood will find plenty of it available fresh from the sea every day. Whether you want it in a Creole-style or fish and chips, you will definitely have plenty to enjoy. A very popular dish is Callaloo soup, which is the national dish of Saint Lucia.

Beyond the table, the culture is a mixture of Caribs, Arawaks, French, and British. Some of the small villages still practice older fishing techniques using dugout canoes. Unfortunately, African cultures were brought to the island due to slavery, but their traditions remain strong. East Indians are also a small population on the island. While some of their cultural festivals have disappeared, their cuisine is lasting.