Peter Jordens reminds us that we posted on this festival way back in 2009 [see previous post St. Vincent’s Nine Mornings Festival]—thanks!  This year, St. Vincent and the Grenadines celebrates 100 years of this unique pre-Christmas tradition: the Nine Mornings Festival 2013. This year, the festival will take place from December 15 to 24 with nine days of festivities from 4:00am to dawn: fetes, beach limes, fairs, games, contests, storytelling, steel pan music, and much more. Many attend mass at 5:30am during the Nine Mornings Festival at different churches around the island; in many areas, the final morning of the festivity usually ends with a steel band “jump-up.”

Description: Vincentians will this year be celebrating 100 years of the annual Nine Mornings festivities. This unique tradition which was started in 1913 in St. Vincent & the Grenadines will be officially launched on Sunday 1st December 2013 with a street parade consisting of lighted flambeaus, traditional music of boom drums, stringbands and steelbands, costumed dancers and singers. The Nine Mornings Festival will run from December 15th to 24th with pre-dawn street concerts, caroling contests and community lighting programs. There are also a wide range of activities throughout the month with a variety of shows, fun events and exhibitions. It all climaxes on Old Year’s Night with fetes and fireworks. Everyone is invited. So plan to be in St. Vincent & the Grenadines this December and bring the whole family to celebrate 100 years of Nine Mornings – a unique Vincentian Tradition!

Read Press Release “Celebrating 100 Years of a Unique Vincentian Tradition” here (PDF)…

For more information on Nine Mornings Festival please contact:
SVG Nine Mornings Committee
Ministry of Culture, Kingstown, St. Vincent
Tel: 784-451-2180/784-455-9199
Email: emespee@hotmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ninemorningsfestival

[Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item to our attention.]

For more information, see http://www.discoversvg.com/index.php/en/whattodo/festivals-a-events/nine-mornings