Christmas and New Years are both times of year for families and friends to be together, and what better way is there to spend it than on a Caribbean holiday yacht charter?
Yuletide in the Caribbean is hardly the traditional Christmas card scenery. Sun-bathed palm trees, turquoise seas and dazzling white or lava black sand beaches are the view which will greet families this time of year.
It may not be visions of sugar plums dancing in your head, but few things conjure up idyllic visions as clearly as the thought of a Caribbean bareboat charter or all-inclusive crewed yacht charter.
Isolated beaches, romantic moonlit evenings, swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, walks, hikes, island explorations and island nightlife are but a handful of the possibilities available when you choose a sailing holiday vacation in the Caribbean.
With winter temperatures averaging 79-81°F, you are sure to have a festive, sunny holiday. Life is always laid back in the Caribbean, but no one ever needs an excuse for a party. The islands are well-known for their colorful celebrations, but the one big party that extends essentially from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day is especially lively and joyous.
Each of the islands has its own traditions and ways of celebrating the holiday season that reflect the local culture, and yet, there are some activities that are common to the tropical paradise known as the Caribbean including exchanging greeting cards; decorating homes with fun paint colors and new colorful window coverings; gift-giving; various types of “Christmas trees” that are decorated with ribbons, ornaments and colored lights; family feasts; church celebrations, and of course lots of awesome music, dancing and parades.
Some of the common customs for celebrating Christmas in the Caribbean are as follows:
Christmas Cards
Historically, the only cards available were from the colonial countries that controlled the Caribbean, such as Spain, England, Europe, and the United States. The cards mirrored what was happening in those countries. Therefore, it was typical to have cards wishing people a, “white Christmas” – an experience completely foreign to the Caribbean. Today, cards are often handmade, have a Caribbean flavor to them, and reflect the reality of the islands. They are sent to each other, as well as to family and friends around the world.
Gift Giving
Even in the Caribbean, Santa is still a worldwide magical symbol of gift giving and an anticipated visitor of children. He enters the house down the chimney, down the wall, or through a keyhole when the children are sleeping. Gifts are left in stockings or under the bed sheets.
Redecorating the Home
Throughout the islands, it is traditional to give the house a thorough cleaning. If affordable, the house may be painted inside and out. New curtains are often put up and furniture is often polished or varnished, or a new piece of furniture might be purchased for the holidays.
Radio, TV and Phones
If you are on a yacht charter during the holidays, you will hear radio stations playing a variety of Christmas music. In the past, Christmas radio programs were based on telephone greetings recorded and packaged as a program, or even aired live on Christmas Day. Caribbean television stations air many Christmas spectaculars, as well as some international programs. Since technology has made it possible to stay connected, there is no shortage of person-to-person communication to spread the Christmas spirit.
Hospitality
At Christmastime, the people of the Caribbean go well beyond their usual warm hospitality. Families prepare food, traditional cakes (like the Caribbean Black Cake) and other goodies not only for themselves, but for others including relatives, friends and co-workers. There is an abundance of warm and welcoming feelings in the Caribbean during this time.
Christmas Music
There are basically three types of music played during the season, and if you happen to be on a bareboat or crewed charter during this time, you can experience all of them. Religious Christmas music are the hymns, songs and classical compositions used in churches. Some of the religious music is referred to as “Christmas carols.”
Popular Christmas music refers to the songs with a non-Christian themes that are well known throughout the world, like Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. Although the words are the same, you will notice a Caribbean flair to the popular Christmas music which is recorded with the sounds of reggae instruments and accents – an enjoyable way to experience these well-known songs.
Finally, there is Christmas folk music that varies from island to island, but is often part of the masquerade. Masquerade bands are a common sight on the streets of the Caribbean during the holidays. The term comes from masque (mask) because the participants wear masks, which are supposed to have some particular meaning or achieve some particular effect. The tradition is African. The instruments used to present this music include drums (including steel drums), flutes, gourd rattles, tambourines, sticks, human voice, and anything else that can be used to make a musical sound. The main performers are the dancers and musicians. In addition to their facial masks, the participants wear elaborate, colorful costumes made of fabric, mesh, tinsel, sequins and other items. While the musicians play, the dancers interact with the crowds of onlookers with their fancy footwork.
New Year celebrations also may vary from island to island, but most include parties that involve plenty of dancing and live music.
If you are lucky enough to be on a yachting vacation in the Caribbean during Yuletide, you might experience these specific traditions:
British Virgin Islands
On Jost Van Dyke, there is the mother of all New Year’s Eve parties when Foxy’s Bar and Restaurant hosts the Old Year Celebration.
Hundreds of boats and dinghies lash themselves together and Great Harbour is turned into one large floating party complete with food, drinking, dancing, and the best music. This celebration is said to be one of the best New Year’s Eve parties worldwide!
St. Martin / Sint Maarten
On December 19th, there is the Lighting Parade – a show of Christmas costumes in the streets of Grand Case on the French side of St. Martin. On December 20th, the winners of the Annual Christmas Lights Competition are announced. If you have seen the light displays, you’ll know that the participants take the incredible contest very seriously! Christmas Eve brings dancing, dining and midnight mass. On New Year’s Eve, the Reveillon de la Sainte Sylvestre is held. This is a festival celebration with noisemakers, balloons, and late-night dancing.
St. Barth
There are gala parties in the hotels and restaurants for New Year’s Eve. Do not be surprised if you brush elbows with some celebrities. Or, if you prefer something low-key, have a Jimmy Buffet hamburger at the famous, “Cheeseburger in Paradise” restaurant in Gustavia.
St. Kitts and Nevis
A firework display over the harbor in Basseterre begins the holiday season on December 1st. St. Kitts has its carnival over the Christmas holidays. This is a huge party with music and dancing in the streets. It features calypso, steel bands, the Big Drum and Fife Corps, children’s dancing troupes, Mocko Jumbies, clowns and string bands, as well as masquerade. There are also competitions such as the Queen Show, Calypso Monarch Competition and the Caribbean Talented Teen Competition. Festive foods include roti, goat water, black pudding, Johnny cakes and conch.
Antigua and Barbuda
Antiguans and Barbudans often spend Christmas Eve on Market Street doing last minute shopping. In the past, some people covered their yards with sand to simulate snow, but this tradition is now rarely done. On Christmas Day, it is traditional to eat pork, and on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas), it is traditional to eat pepper pot soup. There is a Christmas masquerade party at the museum. On Christmas Day, there is a champagne celebration in Nelson’s Boatyard where locals and visitors gather to listen to live bands, drink champagne and enjoy the colorful, festive atmosphere.
Montserrat
Traditional fare at Christmas time is roast pig, goat water (stewed goat meat), potato pudding and dooknah (potato, coconut, oil and sugar wrapped in chainee bush). A number of celebrations happen around Christmas time. Apart from the house to house caroling, there are masquerade competitions, Mocko Jumbies, and a Miss Montserrat Show.
Guadeloupe
There is a jazz festival that is held a few days in the second week of December at Pointe a Pitre. On Christmas Eve, midnight mass is held with French and Creole carols. On December 28, a Young Saint’s Day Parade is held with children carrying their Christmas toys.
Martinique
There is a Rum Festival that is held at the St. James Museum in Sainte Marie. Also, a Christmas Caroling Festival is held in Saint Joseph. Visitors from charter boats can join the locals in celebrating midnight mass on Christmas Eve and festive dining and dancing at many hotels and restaurants on New Year’s Eve.
St. Lucia
One of the Christmastime traditions is called, “bursting the bamboo.” Beginning the end of November and continuing until New Years, you can hear the sounds of bamboo bursting during the night. Neighborhood men use kerosene with rag and stick fuses to make cannons out of hollowed out bamboo.
Barbados
Christmas Day in Barbados is a day for feasting. Among the favorites you might experience are green peas and rice, baked ham, roast pork with crackling and gravy, fish, pepper pot soup, yam pie, plantains and much more. There is also a traditional Christmas cake (called Black Cake throughout the islands) and Christmas pudding. The pudding is made of currents, raisins, sultanas, and other dried fruit that is steamed for 3 or more hours in a large saucepan with boiling water. It is then turned out onto a serving dish and warm rum or brandy is poured over it and flamed. It is often served with a butter rum sauce.
St. Vincent
An interesting aspect of the Christmas season is the pre-Christmas celebration called Nine Mornings – observed for nine days between December 16th and December 24th. It features early morning street activities that begin at 4am. The activities include parades through the streets of Kingstown, bicycle races, sea bathing, string bands, serenades, street vendors selling everything imaginable, caroling and singing. Food, drink and the sounds of steel drums are everywhere, but by 7am, the Nine Morning activities give way to regular work day.
Mustique
On New Year’s Eve, there is a famous party with two bands and celebrations galore at Basil’s Bar. After the New Year celebrations, preparations begin for the Famous Blues Festival that is held at Basil’s during late January and early February.
Carriacou
In Carriacou, a dependency of Grenada, there is the famous Parang Music Festival that is held a few days before Christmas. This annual event is one of the most beloved in the Caribbean, and attracts many fantastic musicians.
Unlike the Parang Festival in neighboring Trinidad and Tobago where the Parang songs are sung in Spanish, everything is sung in English. The songs use calypso-like themes. Instruments include bass drums, guitars, quartos, violins, maracas (called shack-shacks), mandolins, saxophones and tambourines.
Regardless of the different rituals, customs and traditions that may be present on each island, no matter where you go on your Caribbean bareboat or crewed yacht charter, the holiday season is a festive and joyous occasion that you are welcome to be a part of.
If you want to do something really special this year with your family and friends, contact Virgin Island Sailing® to plan and book your special holiday vacation and celebrate Christmas and New Year Caribbean-style. It will be a holiday you will never forget! https://virginislandsailing.com/destination/caribbean-americas/
