Traditions of St. John US Virgin Islands (USVI)

USVI

	USVI St. John Traditions St. John On Foot And By Car
	St. John USVI is rich in customs and traditions, many of which are highlighted in this USVI guidebook featuring self-guided tours of the history and natural beauty of St. John.

Carnival in the USVI is part of a 30-day tradition commencing in early June and culminating with the July 4th celebration of Cultural Day. The holiday features bike races, calypso shows, parades and fireworks. The St. John, USVI celebration period encompasses Organic Act Day (third Monday in June), Carnival and Emancipation Day (July 3rd). The holiday commemorates the Danes freeing of the slaves in 1848. St. John USVI Carnival jumbie

The custom of celebrating Carnival has its origins in plantation times, although St. John did not officially celebrate its first carnival until 1928. Originally St. John carnival was devised as a form of entertainment to make the slaves happier and motivate them to work harder. This USVI holiday typically coincided with the Christian Easter and Christmas celebrations. As a part of the festivities, slaves traditionally donned costumes and mimicked their masters through song and dance.

The traditional figure associated with USVI carnival is the mocko jumbie, a shape-changing ghost-like figure, whose origins are traced to West Africa. The jumbie traditionally appears at night and is known for terrifying those who have misbehaved. At carnival, the jumbie customarily appears on stilts dressed in elaborate pants and jacket made of colorful silks and satins.

Native Foods

Traditional local West Indian dishes are a mixture of African and European heritage with a large dousing of good old fashion imagination thrown in. Some traditional dishes were passed down from plantation days when slaves were customarily required to obtain their food from gardens they cultivated in what little free time they had. Extra produce was sold on Sundays to generate income. Following Emancipation, the few hundred persons who continued to live here learned to survive by “getting by” with what was available locally. Sweet potatoes, yams, pumpkins (yellow squash), peas, fish, turtles, whelks, conchs and livestock formed the basic ingredients of their diet.

USVI Holidays

THREE KINGS DAY (January 6)

TRANSFER DAY (March 31)
Commemorates the sale of the Virgin Islands to the United States

ST. JOHN FESTIVAL (June-July)
Thirty-day holiday encompassing Organic Act Day (third Monday in June), Carnival (1st week of July) and Emancipation Day (July 3rd).

HURRICANE SUPPLICATION DAY (4th Monday in July)

LOCAL THANKSGIVING (3rd Monday in October)

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