A Slice of Local Life

Marguerite the best of all flowers?

Chak Chak bands provide music for flower festival seances

Imagine you’re part of an ongoing feud that has lasted well over a century, and still bubbles with enough rivalry to start up a heated argument. What you’ve just pictured in your mind’s eye are St Lucia’s unique La Rose and La Marguerite festivals.
While these have mellowed from the day’s of fierce rivalry, they still induce a somewhat sedated, en passant name-calling between two ageless teams, that are sure to butt heads at Jounen Kwéyòl festivities in October.
Though not the razzle dazzle of Broadway, participants are fully clad in their cultural fineries: make-up, costumes and tons of what we call glan-glan aka costume jewelry. But all this and more come with the territory of the aristocratic masquerades.
The colors of the floral factions couldn’t be further apart. It is customary for La Marguerite supporters to be adorned in blue and purple ensembles, while die-hard La Rose fans are fully clad in shades of red and pink. The feast of St Rose de Lima or La Rose, is celebrated August 30, while the feast of St Marguerite Alacoque or La Marguerite is observed on October 17. Both are old Negro floral societies that have become mainly singing groups today.
The festivals’ more subdued role to date is demonstrated by the orderly parochial festivities. In the past, these societies would decide which group most people belonged to. Although some insist association is based on date of birth.
Reminiscent of colonial times, the structure of the groups resemble the age-old hierarchy of Britain and France. Leading the pack in the Grande Fete are the King and Queen lavished in their royal fineries. They’re followed by the prince and princess, judges, lawyers, military personnel, policemen, doctors and nurses. These roles depict the parodic flavour of the festivals as participants would most likely not assume them in real life.
Festivities begin long before the actual feast days, kicking off with the nightly seances which consist of all night singing and dancing sessions. At these events various drinks are sold and a number of cultural games are played.
Central to the seance is a figure called the chantwelle or the lead singer, usually female. She maintains the spirit and tenor of the evening’s entertainment. Seances are not at all occult in nature as the name tends to suggest. They are simply meetings where folk songs of praise or mockery are done.
Strict protocol is observed at these nightly seances. Each visitor or participant, upon arrival, bows to the King and Queen who are surrounded by their court, police and soldiers in uniform enforcing regulations against any breaches of protocol, disorder or misdemeanors. Offenders are taken before a magistrate who conducts a mock trial, and they fined accordingly.
Musical instruments such as the baha, violin, quatro, banjo, guitar, drums and shak-shak, have secured their place in the day’s festivities.
To join in the festivities call the CDF at 452-5646 or 452-1859.