Traditions in Grenada

Traditions in Grenada vary by island, community and occasion. Mainland Grenada is associated with Djab-Djab, Shortknee, Saraka, Maypole, Bélé or Belair and Lancers. Carriacou is known for Shakespeare Mas, Maroon traditions, Stringband music, Big Drum, Quadrille and traditional wooden boatbuilding. Petite Martinique shares Maroon practices and boatbuilding and has traditions such as Sugaring the Piton and Dancing of the Flags and Cake. These practices should not be transferred automatically from one island to another because local forms and meanings differ. The annual cycle includes New Year’s Day church services and visits to family and friends; Independence Day on 7 February with national ceremonies and parades; Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter observances; the Carriacou Maroon and String Band Music Festival, usually held in April; Emancipation Day on 1 August with cultural events; Carnival on the Monday and Tuesday in August; National Heroes’ Day; Thanksgiving Day on 25 October; and Christmas customs such as nativity scenes, house and tree decorations, the Midnight Service on 24 December, family gatherings and gifts. Boxing Day traditionally includes visits. Dates for annual events can follow the Cabinet Office calendar or a formal proclamation. Life-cycle traditions include the Dancing of the Flags and Cake wedding ceremony in Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Wakes, prayers, the 40 Days observance, Saraka Nation Dance, Big Drum and Tombstone Feast connect mourning, ancestors and community support. Religious elements appear here only where they form part of a broader tradition; religious doctrine and worship as a primary subject belong elsewhere. Music and performance include Steelpan, Calypso, Stringband, drumming, drum-making, Big Drum, Quadrille, Lancers and Bélé or Belair. Carnival may involve Djab-Djab and Shortknee masks, Ole Mas, pretty or fancy bands, Steelpan, DJs and costume parades. Shakespeare Mas uses costumes, masks, capes, padded crowns and a symbolic whip. Bélé performances use traditional dance clothing. Crafts include masks, drums, costumes, straw weaving and traditional wooden boatbuilding. Boatbuilding in Carriacou and Petite Martinique was added to the UNESCO Representative List in 2023. Men, women and children can contribute at different stages, including making, preparing and launching a boat. Families and communities usually transmit knowledge through observation, imitation and mentoring. Shakespeare Mas was traditionally passed from fathers to sons or other male relatives, while women and girls now also participate. School curricula have been used to widen transmission; one pilot involved more than 135 students and 20 teachers. Most practices are non-formal or community-based. UNESCO recognition formally covers two elements, traditional wooden boatbuilding and Shakespeare Mas, while other practices are nationally inventoried or remain mainly informal. Grenada’s Division of Culture within the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Climate Resilience and the Environment supports cultural policy, performing arts, music, theatre, dance, teacher training and festival-organizer training. The Grenada National Trust maintains an intangible cultural heritage inventory and supports community safeguarding. The Grenada National Commission for UNESCO and UNESCO provide safeguarding and nomination frameworks. The Grenada Organisation for Creative Arts supports creative-industry training, funding and registration. Schools, tradition bearers, village groups and festival committees carry much of the practical work. Public festivals are generally open to the public, while ritual knowledge, particular roles and craft skills are usually accessed through the relevant community. No nationwide participation test, permit, fee or proof requirement has been established for all traditions. Each event or activity may have separate organizer, travel, material or registration rules. Participation is not generally documented as a nationwide obligation. An inventory completed in 2022 and 2023 recorded 12 intangible cultural heritage elements across 24 communities and seven parishes, with 52 practitioners or tradition bearers identified. More than 25 local researchers received training. Globalization, rapid social change, interrupted transmission between generations and declining youth interest create risks. Inventory work, school education, community consultations, media, events and UNESCO recognition support continuity. Bélé and Belair were not fully documented in the pilot because of limited time and resources; that is a research gap, not evidence that the practices are absent.