LA ROSE FESTIVAL

On August 30th, Saint Lucia celebrates La Rose festival which has been originally recorded in 1844, after emancipation where two rival societies established two music festivals. They used two flowers as symbols of their societies, la rose and la marguerite. La Rose festival is associated to Saint Rose de Lima and honored in August 30th and La Marguerite is associated to Saint Margaret Alacoque and honored in October 17th. During the festivities, every rank of royalty and aristocracy is portrayed along with the Queen and the King, the heads of the naval, military and health services. The central figure of the group is the "chanterelle" or lead singer, mostly women who support the spirit of the entertainment. They parade the streets serenading and playing traditional folk music. the folklore takes place in the Derek Walcott square after a religious ceremony at the Castries church.