Music, dance and fashion competitions mildly summarize this annual event that is full of excitement for all ages.  Even though we are winding down on this year’s events, it is still a good time to hear more about this crazy and historic event. Carnival, or better known as the Crucian Christmas is a cultural celebration of freedom expressed through music, dance ad pageantry, along with an accompaniment of food, drink, friends and fun collectively displayed in fairs and parades.  And of course, the famous Crucian Moko Jumbies!

This celebration is a collaboration of European and African cultures, officially became an annual event in 1952 in St. Croix and is still growing today.  Plantations and the main St. Croix towns in the early 1800’s were filled with music, dance and singing as enslaved Africans were allowed to celebrate Christmas and New Years.

At the Crucian Christmas you will see history and culture make Carnival like no other holiday.  Masquerade brings brilliant masks and costumes to the celebration.  Historically the concept was to mask oneself from identity and has evolved into enhancements and creations of elaborate costumes proudly worn throughout the festival today.  The Moko Jumbie towers any parade or festival reaching as high as 13 or 14 feet into the sky.  The Moko or “Mocker” is a spiritual guardian reaching high enough to reach evil spirits and drive them away with magical powers.  The stilt dancer carries over from the West African cultures and is welcomed for not only the spiritual protection of the festival, but in the entertaining sense as well becoming a St. Croix icon and trademark for tourism.

Crucian Christmas and Carnival are a spectacular collaboration of European tradition and African artistry and craftsmanship.  Activities both public and private often take place throughout the entire month of December in Christiansted and Fredriksted which host a variety of events including Calypso shows, fairs, food and dance festivals, horse races, music venues and parades.  You can experience all the splendor of the main event annually during the Christmas and New Years holiday week usually ending with the traditional adult parade on Three Kings Day.

To see more of this amazing event visit the 60^th Anniversary web page at http://www.stxfestival.com.  And be sure to start thinking about visiting us next year for Carnival!

#10 No passport? No problem, mon.

Foreign enough to be exotic, St. Croix is in fact part of “America’s Caribbean”-one of the islands comprising the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). Everyone speaks English, uses the American Dollar and are U.S. citizens. If you are American, you can come and go from St. Croix without ever needing a passport. That makes St. Croix an easier trip for you next vacation than just about every other island in the Caribbean.

#9 We have personality.

St. Croix is not an island full of enormous, all inclusive resorts that ramble on for miles and miles. We are more than that. Our style of a luxury resort is no larger than 200 rooms. It may be a family-owned hotel on the grounds of an old sugar plantation, or individual cottages built to resemble a West Indian village. Smaller hotels are IT on St. Croix, many with less than 50 rooms. Enjoy personalized service, historic architecture, charming courtyards, beachfront views, swimming pools, hi-speed internet, and in-house restaurants. Where you stay will have a personality unlike any other.

#8 Park it right there, Mister.

Many people don’t realize that St. Croix has 4 parks that are protected by the U.S. National Park System, as well as several more that are protected by U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and the Nature Conservancy. Beautiful vistas, hikes ranging from easy to difficult, endangered sea turtle nesting, unbelievable scuba diving, snorkeling trails, historic sugar plantations, old military forts, and mangrove estuaries accessible only by kayak are some of the experiences St. Croix’s parks offer.

#7 Go to town-twice!

St. Croix has two diverse downtown areas to explore, so when you are ready to leave our beautiful beaches and get out of the direct sun, you’ll have plenty to see: According to Caribbean Travel and Life Magazine, “A walking tour of Christiansted offers a history lesson on St. Croix. Almost the entire city is on the National Register of Historic Places”. A stroll through the west end town of Frederiksted is like stepping back in time, to a slower pace and simpler life-contrasted with a newly renovated waterfront park, extended pier and free jazz concerts with the sun setting in the background.

#6 The World’s Best Rum!

We may be biased here on St. Croix, but we are not alone. Year after year, thousands of barrels of Cruzan Rum are made right here on St. Croix-and nowhere else. With an expanded line of rums that include coconut, mango, pineapple, as well as Single Barrel and high-end Estate Diamond rums, Cruzan Rum continues to impress worldwide spirit connoisseurs winning countless taste tests and people’s choice awards. But no matter how popular our most famous export becomes, there is still only one place in the world where you can tour the distillery and visit the tasting room. Right here on St. Croix.

#5 Take it all in, baby!

The clean, unpolluted air you breathe will lift your spirits and improve your sleep. Your appetite will be stimulated by the aroma of fresh fish and lobster-caught moments ago-being prepared with locally grown mango, papaya, tamarind and secret spice recipes dating back hundreds of years. Grab a handful of sand and examine it closely-it’s made of coral, from the reef that hugs St. Croix’s coastline. Let the rhythm move you as you listen to local steel pan, Quelbe, Soca or Reggae music being played at one of the many street fairs that occur. St. Croix is meant to be experienced by the senses.

#4 Fun for your family of 4 or 40!

Family vacations and reunions are meant to be unforgettable with unique activities that your family will be talking about for years to come. See the bioluminescense glowing in the water on a moon-lit evening kayak tour, go off-roading to parts of the island only accessible in a four-wheel jeep, or let the kids pick their own hermit crab and cheer them on in nightly crab races. The entire family can get scuba certified in the morning and be diving the same afternoon. The point is, family activities are not your average run-of-the mill variety. They are truly a “Crucian” experience.

#3 Name that accent.

English might be the official language, but don’t tell our residents that. While some locals were “bahn here” many other “Crucians” with West Indian roots are from neighboring small islands further down the Caribbean chain. We call them down-islanders. Spanish speaking residents may be from as far away as the Dominican Republic or Cuba, or closer by Vieques and Puerto Rico. European influences are still strong with a close-knit Danish population (St. Croix was once Danish). There are also French, British and Spanish influences as well. For such a small place, St. Croix is quite worldly.

#2 Where’s the party? It’s here!

A population as diverse as St. Croix’s produces myriad cultural traditions and events. Celebrate the fruits of the land with agricultural events and our Mango Melee. Groove with local musicians every month at a free outdoor jazz concert to hear the sounds of African, Latin, Quelbe, Gospel and modern sounds come together. Jump Up festivals are an opportunity to see Mocko Jumbies dancing in the street and to indulge in local food and drinks. You would think that St. Croix has a strong Irish heritage judging from the size of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, but nope, it’s just another good excuse to throw a party!

#1 “I could live here”.

You could. We welcome you to St. Croix. You will feel at home. We hope it becomes a place you will want to return to year after year to meet up with new friends, see what is new, relax, kick back, and recharge your batteries with our slower pace. St. Croix is a place that enters your heart and soul. You will say “I am happy here”. St. Croix is a very liveable island-with diverse economies, affordable real estate, friendly people, and plenty of space to spread out and get away. It is a place to return to year after year-even if only on vacation.

If you visit, and you film it - should you post it? Hey - why not!

I decided to check out the YouTube selections for St. Croix - was there anything worth watching? Well among all the links - and people love to visit paradise and bring home great memories - (and post on YouTube for everyone to enjoy), there were surprising hits, some pretty silly selections, and while there were duds (focus people - please focus), there were a lot of professional, and semi-professional videos to enjoy! Here are some of my favorite links (and why you should check them out)

Topics include: MokoJumbies, Snorkeling/Diving on St. Croix, Salt River Canyon, Sea Horses, and Beautiful Sunrises/sunsets. 

MokoJumbies are a St. Croix surprise - if you don't get to see them perform, you've missed something special. I've been lucky enough to see them several times - and while this is not the blog about their history and tradition (that's for another day) - this is a great link to check them out:

Sunrise and Sunset on an island are always special times - and this stunningly beautiful photo montage was an entry into a contest - The Most Beautiful Place in the World - St. Croix. If you only click one link - this is the one. I could just watch this one over and over again (I guess I'm not alone - it's had over 60,000 views)

Much to my surprise - I found 2 TV shows that feature St. Croix - one a bit more bubble gum than the other - but both feature pretty hostesses - and of course lovely lovely pictures of our island.

Colors of Paradise with Africah Harrigan focuses on the more tourist oriented sites - but the host is lovely, and the weather perfect.

ReDiscover St. Croix hosted by Janeisha John is the more intellectual tour - and includes interviews with park rangers at our historic sites - including Buck Island. There are lots and lots of these to watch - I enjoyed them, and of course - learned something new in each one. The link below is just to the one on Buck Island - but a quick search will reveal the dozens that this group have posted. And it has the best intro ever - so click the first link - you don't have to do the entire show - but definitely watch the beginning - totally makes me want to jump an airplane and fly away home... to St. Croix of course.

Besides the great intro - the link below is about Salt River - the place where Columbus actually set foot in America on his 2nd voyage. (Hey - did you realize that happened in St. Croix?)

And here's a 5 minute quick overview of Janeisha's Buck Island adventure

But it's not just about sand and sun - there's snorkeling and Scuba Diving - and here's the video's to prove it! (I'm a diver - this was probably my favorite on the diving ones - well filmed, great fish shots - and the moray alone is worth watching.)

And here's one of my favorite of the 'I visited, I had a wonderful time, and now I have to go home' videos - this gal actually saw 5 Seahorses off the Fredricstad Pier. This is so cool - and she's happy about it too. But even better - she filmed the video right on the beach at Sugar Beach - so not only do you get to hear how exciting it was to see the Seahorses - you get to see the beach and the ocean..

Did you like any/all/some of my choices. Do you have others that you think I should see? Please - use the comment section to lets us know if there's something fun that I've missed.

And when you come to St. Croix - please - face in the sun, toes in the sand - think of me!

I thank you.