3463 SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS - Christmas in Nevis

Named after the sugar cane (once the most important resource of the islands Saint Kitts and Nevis) and mas-short for masquerade, the Sugar Mas Carnival takes place every year between the penultimate friday of November and the last weekend of January, having the climax around Christmas. During this period, streets become a spectrum of colour as various processions and parades bring music and dancing to their every corner and the sounds of soca and calypso can be heard at every turn.

Carnival has its traditions of course and this one wouldn’t be complete without certain events and costumes. The parade of clowns in their baggy trousers and head dresses and the famous “Moko-Jumbies” who dance on a pair of high stilts are legendary whilst the j-ouvert parades play host to countless dance troupes from all over the islands, each one dressed in their own special colours and performing the most frenzied of dances.

The carnival competitions are the highlight for many, from the Miss Caribbean Talented Teen Pageant through to the Junior Calypso Show and the National Carnival Queen Pageant and entrants will have spent the entire year preparing for their moment of glory. The calypso contest is hotly contested with the wit of words equally as important as the music and the winners of this competition always go on to become big stars of the entire West Indies, such importance it holds.

Carnival takes a break on 25th December when locals and visitors take time to celebrate Christmas and the joyful sounds of various church services can be heard around the islands. Traditional lights and music create the perfect scene and everyone hits the beach in the afternoon to celebrate Christmas in true Caribbean style.

About the stamps
The first stamp is part of the series Cacti, issued on June 20, 1995:
• Schulumbergera truncata (0.40 XCD) - It's on the postcard 3463
• Echinocereus pectinatus (0.50 XCD)
• Mammillaria zeilmanniana alba (0.80 XCD)
• Lobivia hertriehiana (1.60 XCD)
• Hammatocactus setispinus (2.00 XCD)
• Astrophytum myriostigma (3.00 XCD)

The second stamp is part of the series Fruits, about which I wrote here. The third stamp is part of the series Hummingbirds of the West Indies, about which I wrote here. The last stamp is part of the series Flowers, issued between 1984 and 1985.

References
St Kitts and Nevis Celebrate the Ultimate Christmas Carnival! - sntravel.co.uk

Sender: Denise
Sent from Charlestown (Nevis / Saint Kitts and Nevis), on 09.04.2018
Photo: Errol C. Pemberton