Bursting the bamboo in St Lucia
published: Tuesday | December 20, 2005

MOST OF The islanders in St. Lucia are Roman Catholics and they celebrate Christmas in a big way. There's midnight mass, large carol festivals, parties and special food.

One of the Christmas time traditions in St. Lucia is 'bursting the bamboo'. From late November one can hear the sounds of bamboo bursting during the night. Men in the neighbourhood use kerosene, rags and sticks as fuses to make cannons out of hollowed-out bamboo.

There is also the Festival of Lights and Renewal, which begins December 13, and features a lantern-making competition and the decoration of towns and villages with lights. The celebration honours the patron saint of light, St. Lucy, with a switching on of the Christmas lights.

- N.D.