Jounen Kwéyòl

Jounen Kwéyòl (Creole Day) is celebrated in the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Saint Lucia on the last Friday of October and the last Sunday of October, respectively and has been held annually since 1984. Throughout the preceding week, the various villages on both islands host cultural events and festivals which showcase different elements of their heritage and culture. Moreover, there are displays of local dishes and foods such as roasted breadfruit, Coupe (a sweetbread made by mixing spices and sugar into flour and kneading it then baking it, usually served at breakfast), Callaloo soup, Green Fig and Salt Fish (The National Dish of Saint Lucia), farine balls (a dish made with avocado and farine), split pea dhal fried or baked pastry, plantain, king fish, Manicou (opossum), turtle, lobster, crayfish, callaloo made from fresh water crabs, crab-back (which is stuffed crab), Eel stew, Souse (a broth made with pork and often served with grated cucumber salad), fried bakes and floats, Accra (a type of local fritter which contains salt fish and curry), Paime (otherwise known as Conkies), Bouljaw (a dish made of saltfish and grated vegetables such as carrots and cabbage) and a famous dish known as Bouillon (a lentils/red beans and pumpkin soup with pork or beef, green plantains, dumplings, spinach and chopped carrots and other ground provisions). Also local drinks are available, such as Cocoa Tea, Sorrel juice, different types of alcoholic punch (breadfruit, seamoss and peanut, to name a few), Spice (an alcoholic drink made by mixing local spices and various barks from medicinal plants with rum), Golden Apple Juice, Guava juice, Orange juice and many more local fruit juices. Apart from the variety of cultural foods, the day is commemorated with traditional folk music or 'kweyol' music, some of which have been passed down from prior generations. The most widely used instruments during Creole Day performances, besides vocals, are the "Shak-Shak" (similar to the maracas), the Boom-Boom (a large, wooden, windpipe instrument), Accordion, Tambourine, and Tambos (a goat-skin drum which is commonly beaten throughout traditional dances or when cultural groups recite songs or limericks in the creole language). Most people usually observe Jounen Kwéyòl by wearing the island's National Wear which is composed of the Wob Dwiete and jip ensemble for the women and a Madras (a special type of plaid material) jacket, white shirt, black slacks and red sash for the men. However, in the modern day, individuals do typically use Madras to make less formal variations of the national wear. This event is even celebrated at schools, where students are allowed to dress in their Madras outfits and take part in the aforementioned activities. This has become a custom in the island of Saint Lucia. Saint Lucians also have a culmination of these activities on the last Sunday of the month, where every district of the island celebrates the day with many stalls and activities like bamboo bursting.