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<\/p>\nVincentian Culture \u2013 Food, Family & Village Traditions in St Vincent<\/p>\n
As you step off the mini bus in a village in the hills above Kingstown, you\u2019ll be met with silence from the queue. No-one will be annoyed, they\u2019re just waiting for you to say hello!<\/p>\n
The culture on St Vincent focuses on small gestures like this. We will highlight the 3 main places you\u2019ll see Vincentian culture, the kitchen, family and village. You\u2019ll feel like you are really getting involved with the culture of St Vincent and the Grenadines.<\/p>\n
Saying hello is a must. Whether it\u2019s on the mini bus, in the shop or on the footpath and there\u2019s nobody else around, it\u2019s expected you\u2019ll say \u2018good morning\u2019. On day one you\u2019ll learn this is a must. It will open more doors than any tips in your guide book!<\/p>\n
The culture is rich with influences. There are indigenous Kalinago and Garifuna people, but there are also African, European and Indian influences. This can be seen in the language, music and food. Proverbs are a big part of culture and teasing is common. When talking about the price of dasheen, you can expect a little play to happen with hand gestures. The country gained independence on the 27 th October 1979 and national pride is still strong.<\/p>\n
Religion plays a big role in everyday life. There are many different denominations across the islands and many families will attend church on a Sunday. After church, they\u2019ll enjoy a lengthy lunch. The whole week revolves around Sunday. If you ask someone for directions, they may give you a bit of family history and a cold drink. No-one will see this as a waste of time.<\/p>\n
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A popular national dish is Roasted Breadfruit with Fried Jackfish. The breadfruit is cooked over an open fire until the skin is charred. It is peeled and sliced into thick pieces. Inside it is soft and slightly sweet. The jackfish is seasoned and fried until crispy. It\u2019s simple but delicious.<\/p>\n
The history behind the breadfruit is complex. In the late 1700s the plants were brought from the Pacific to the Caribbean. They arrived in St Vincent in 1793 and were intended to be an inexpensive food source for the enslaved people on the plantations. Now, they are used at christenings, beach barbecues and regular Tuesdays. The cooks take great pride in cooking this dish.<\/p>\n
Everything is cooked by feel. No measurements are used. Just add some herbs and spices by hand. If you ask for exact measurements you\u2019ll be told \u2018a little bit\u2019. No-one is keeping secrets, they\u2019ve just learnt by watching. Fish is also cooked by feel. The boats will come in along the coast. Often you\u2019ll know the fisherman by name. The jackfish and other local fish will be fried, stewed or grilled. The freshness can be told by how it looks and smells.<\/p>\n
If you want to try everything, look for accommodation with a kitchen or someone who cooks. Sharing a Sunday meal or having a cook along will be better than any restaurant. We have a range of local hosted accommodation and guided experiences.<\/p>\n
Family is a big part of St Vincent. Children can be told off by aunts, godparents, cousins and even people two houses away. \u2018It takes a village\u2019 is a common saying.<\/p>\n
A typical Sunday meal would be rice and peas, macaroni pie and stewed or baked meat with salad. Family will come in and out all afternoon. Those who couldn\u2019t make it will be given a plate wrapped in foil. It\u2019s common to be sat for 2 hours but 4 hours isn\u2019t unheard of. Children will have jobs to do whilst they\u2019re there. Peeling peas, grating coconuts and stirring.<\/p>\n
For bigger events such as christenings, weddings and first communions the extended family will come. The cooking can take a few days with a small team. During December there are Nine Mornings. This is a series of events happening before the 25 th December. Everyone is up before sunrise and no-one seems to mind.<\/p>\n
Advice from elders are valued. Many households will receive money from relatives abroad.<\/p>\n
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Outside of Kingstown life is slower. Farmers will be out in their fields early and fishermen even earlier. By mid morning the corner shop becomes an unofficial parliament. Politics and cricket are discussed with complete confidence, with little evidence.<\/p>\n
Weekly markets will have lots of produce, fruit and fish. Neighbours will help out. If your roof needs fixing, people will turn up with tools. If someone is unwell, a pot of food will appear on your door. This was evident nationally during the La Soufri\u00e8re eruption in April 2021. Thousands of people left the northern part of the island and many were taken in by families and shelters in safer areas.<\/p>\n
Evenings are lively. Steel pan, calypso, soca and string bands can be heard coming from yards and rum shops. Dominoes are slapped onto tables under almond trees. Vincy Mas is a big event in late June and early July, however much of the action happens in the villages. Costumes are made and calypsonians will practice their lyrics with anyone willing to listen. This can last months!<\/p>\n
There are many traditional crafts. Bequia in the Grenadines is famous for boat building. Skills are passed on from person to person, mostly by watching.<\/p>\n
If you follow a few rules, you\u2019ll be welcomed.<\/p>\n
Usually the best way to get an insight into everyday life is to stay in a family run guesthouse. The kitchen will be run by the owner and the boat owned by a cousin. Look for hosts who cook, do village walks or can organise a Sunday meal. We have a range.<\/p>\n
A popular national dish is Roasted Breadfruit with Fried Jackfish. The breadfruit is cooked over a fire until soft. It is served with seasoned crispy fried fish.<\/p>\n
St Vincent traditional food will be ground provisions such as dasheen, yam and eddo. Fresh fish will be included. Common dishes include callaloo, pelau and cassava bread. Black cake, sorrel and ginger beer will be added to the table for celebrations.<\/p>\n
They attend church, relax and have the main family meal. Extended family, godparents and neighbours often visit.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll be greeted warmly. Life will be slower with a strong community spirit. Local food, music, farming and fishing will all play a part in the day giving you a clear insight into island life.<\/p>\n
No-one in a village on St Vincent will put on a show for you and no-one is going to start. The culture focuses on sharing food, saying hello properly and with no agenda on Sunday. If you match this pace you\u2019ll be invited.<\/p>\n
Treat it as a backdrop and you\u2019ll only get a nice photo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Vincentian Culture \u2013 Food, Family & Village Traditions in St Vincent As you step off the mini bus in a village in the hills above Kingstown, you\u2019ll be met with silence from the queue. No-one will be annoyed, they\u2019re just waiting for you to say hello! The culture on St Vincent focuses on small gestures […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[196],"tags":[319,263,255,24,92,320,318],"class_list":["post-2062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lifestyle","tag-culture","tag-food","tag-grenadines","tag-st-vincent","tag-travel","tag-village","tag-vincentian-culture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/svgsun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/svgsun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/svgsun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svgsun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svgsun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2062"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/svgsun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2068,"href":"https:\/\/svgsun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2062\/revisions\/2068"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svgsun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/svgsun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svgsun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svgsun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}