St. Kitts & Nevis: Culture & History

St. Kitts and Nevis are located in the Lesser Antilles and are in relatively close proximity to Montserrat, St. Barthelemy, St. Maarten, St. Martin, St. Eustatius and Montserrat. Both islands are of volcanic formation and have tropical forests and high volcanic peaks.

St. Kitts carnival begins on Christmas Eve and it is a ten-day affair. It is colourful, lively and goes into the New Year, and, is a part of the New Year's celebrations. The Carnival celebrations consist of a Calypso King and Queen competitions, various nights of youth talents and calypso contests, as well as beauty and talent pageantry.

The St. Kitts Music festival takes place towards the end of June and this is followed by the Nevis' "Culturama" celebration in July, which consists of costumed troupes, talent shows, beauty pageants, calypso competitions, arts and crafts and a local food-fir at the capital, Charlestown.

Other cultural interests for the Kittians and Nevisians are fishing tournaments, bicycle races, sailing regattas, music festivals and of course, cricket. People who are interested in shopping can find beautiful woodcarvings, neat paintings, coconut shell and seashell crafts and Sea Island cotton.

St. Kitts and Nevis are geographically located in an area that is considered the gateway to the Caribbean where ships sail. It was this area where many battles were fought as different Europeans tried to subjugate the natives of the Caribbean islands. The Carib Indians were fierce warriors and they were able to defend their lands. The Caribs called St. Kitts Liamuiga which when translated means "fertile land" which is a reference to the island's rich and productive volcanic soil.