Photo by Jamie Davies on Unsplash
In many places throughout the world, Christmas Day, which falls on December 25, is one of the most joyful Christian festivals. The majority of the population of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is Christian, and special church services like midnight masses on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day are typical. The Nine Mornings Festival, a local custom that began around 100 years ago, is undoubtedly the most unique Christmas event in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. During the nine days running up to Christmas, many get up at 3 a.m. and head to church, however, Sundays are removed from the day count.
Many people participate in singing competitions, beach swimming, and other recreational activities during the course of the nine days. There are markets to visit, as well as a Christmas caroling competition in which you perform a Christmas song as well as a song you compose to match an existing melody. There will also be live band music on the streets and a public Christmas tree lighting event.
Many of the traditions we identify with Christmas have grown from pre-Christian beliefs, and the traditions have clearly expanded beyond purely a Christian celebration to have a larger secular significance. Christmas celebrations in late December are almost clearly part of pre-existing Winter Solstice traditions at the period.
Yule, a winter pagan celebration traditionally celebrated by Germanic people, is the most well-known of these. Yule’s exact date is determined on the lunar cycle, although it usually occurs between late December and early January. The native word for Christmas in certain Northern European nations is more closely related to ‘Yule’ than to ‘Christmas,’ and it is still used for Christmas in some English-speaking countries. Several Yule customs are recognizable to current Christmas celebrations, such as Yule Log, the tradition of burning a big wooden log on the fire during Christmas, or carol singing, which is surprisingly an ancient tradition.