Every year Grenada’s fishing villages commemorate the feast day of St. Peter and St. Paul on June 29th. Known locally as Fisherman’s Birthday Celebrations, the event begins with church services and the blessing of fishermen, their boats, and nets, with the promise of receiving protection at sea. This is followed by boat races, fishing displays, fireworks, and late evening parties. The historic town of L’Anse Gouyave, in the northwest parish of St. John, is the main venue for these activities, which in recent years have grown to include community sporting and cultural events during a week long celebration leading up to June 29th.

This celebration is important to the Gouyave community because, as Alister Hughes writes in “Gouyave Fetes St. Peter,” fishing gives the town its money, its employment, and its character. “The dependency of fishermen on each other against the hazardous sea ensures that ‘no matter what harsh words are said on one day, apologies follow afterwards.’ There is a lovely feeling of community and friendliness in Gouyave—people who live close to and respect nature.”

For more information, see http://www.worldeventsguide.com/event/3777/Grenada/Fishermans-Birthday-Celebrations.html

Also see Alister Hughes’ travel essay (and photo) at http://www.grenada-history.org/blessing.htm