Santa Rosa Festival

The Santa Rosa Event is possibly the oldest indigenous festival currently observed in Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribs of Arima, according to legend, originated the festival over 300 years ago. It all started with three Caribs who saw a vision of Rose of Lima, the first person from the New World to be recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. The patron saint of Arima is Santa Rosa de Lima. The saint's true feast day is August 20th. The statue of the saint is artistically arranged and shown to the public at the Santa Rosa RC Church on the last day of the festival.

Santa Rosa Festival is held in August, in the week preceding Independence Day (August 31), with the goal of paying honor to the New World's First Peoples and exposing their culture to the rest of the country. The crowning of the Carib Queen, an elder matron of their community who serves as a focal point for their heritage and traditions; a church procession and performance of some of their traditional and ritual activities, such as smoke ceremonies and prayer; and the opportunity to see and purchase cassava bread are all part of the ceremonies.