Nine Mornings Festival

Bequia proudly celebrates the unique Vincentian cultural custom of "Nine Mornings." In an exuberant countdown to Christmas, music, singing, and revelry take place all over the island for the nine nights before Christmas. Certainly, it is one of the most famous festivals in Saint Vincent, based on the number of participants.

The exact origins of the custom are unknown, but it is thought to have developed in St. Vincent following emancipation (and in its current form in the late 19th/early 20th century) as a fusion of multicultural forms of celebration - such as music, drums, and dance - with the Christian festival of Christmas, and later, in association with the early morning Christmas Novenas, which were previously celebrated at midday by the Catholic Church.

Musical activities and carols often take place under the Almond Tree nine days before Christmas, starting as early as 4 a.m., much to the surprise and delight of many tourists eager for a nice carol or two! So don't be shocked if you hear singing and revelry late into the night during Christmas week; it's all part of the Bequia experience! Caroling is a serious business for Bequians. Several weeks before Christmas, groups representing the island's villages and communities compete in an evening carol competition that is attended by the majority of the island's residents and visitors.

Dates: December