Island Traditions

Big Drum, Shakespeare Mas, maroon festivals, saraca, boat launching.

8 articles

Grandmother telling stories to wide-eyed children on a wooden veranda in rural St John's, Grenada, oil lamp glow, deep blue dusk, banana trees behind, eye-level shot

La Diablesse, Ligaroo and Mama Glo: Grenada's Folklore Spirits

Grenada's folklore spirits explained: La Diablesse on dark roads, the Ligaroo that sheds its skin, Mama Glo in Grand Etang and the habits these stories shaped.

14/10/2026 8 min read

Masqueraders covered in glossy black oil wearing horned helmets and chains dancing on a St George's street at dawn, misty pink sky, crowd silhouettes, wide shot

Island Traditions

Jab Jab, Short Knee and Old Mas: Grenada's Traditional Characters

Who are Grenada's traditional mas characters? Jab Jab in black oil and chains, Short Knee with powder and chants, and the history behind Grenada's old mas.

14/10/2026 8 min read

Family members in white carrying a cloth-draped headstone along a hillside path in Carriacou, cemetery and sea in the distance, soft early morning light, wide shot

Island Traditions

Wakes, Nine Nights and Stone Feasts: How Grenadians Honour the Dead

From the wake and nine night to Carriacou's tombstone feast, how Grenadians honour the dead: the customs, the hymns, the food and how to behave as a guest.

14/10/2026 8 min read

Crowd of villagers hauling ropes to roll a freshly painted wooden sloop down timber skids into turquoise water at Windward, Carriacou, bright morning, low angle from the shore

Island Traditions

Boat Launching in Windward and Petite Martinique: A Day Explained

A boat launching in Windward, Carriacou or Petite Martinique mixes blessing, saraka, Big Drum and a crowd hauling the hull to sea. What happens and how to watch

14/10/2026 8 min read

String band of older musicians playing violin, banjo and shakers under a breadfruit tree on a Carriacou hillside, dry golden grass, soft late-afternoon light, eye-level shot

Island Traditions

Maroon in Carriacou: Rain Prayers, Smoked Food and String Bands

A maroon in Carriacou is a village thanksgiving that prays for rain at the end of the dry season. The Maroon and String Band Music Festival explained for visito

14/10/2026 8 min read

Large iron pots simmering over wood fires in a Carriacou backyard, women stirring with long wooden paddles, children waiting nearby with enamel plates, morning light through trees

Island Traditions

Saraka in Carriacou: The Feast Set Out for the Ancestors

Saraka is Carriacou's feast for the ancestors: food cooked in big pots, a plate set aside for the dead, children fed first and a Big Drum. Its meaning explained

14/10/2026 8 min read

Two masqueraders in long bright capes and tall mirrored headdresses facing each other on a dusty Carriacou crossroads, crowd circling, low afternoon sun, wide angle

Island Traditions

Shakespeare Mas: Carriacou's Carnival Duel in Lines of Julius Caesar

Shakespeare Mas turns Carriacou's Carnival Monday into a duel of memory: masqueraders recite Julius Caesar, and one wrong line can earn a blow. How it works.

14/10/2026 8 min read

Close-up of a weathered hand striking a goatskin drum made from a rum keg, villagers dancing barefoot behind on a Carriacou yard at dusk, warm lantern light

Island Traditions

The Big Drum Nation Dance: How a Carriacou Drum Night Works

The Big Drum Nation Dance of Carriacou explained: the three drums, the African nations, the chantwell, the order of dances and how to behave at a drum night.

14/10/2026 9 min read

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