Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine October 2017 | Page 578

and the “lighting-up” around the communities
throughout the entire country. The origin of this
unique tradition which started around 1913 is
associated with the ‘novena’ of the Catholic Church,
nine days before Christmas. It is believed that a
Vincentian member of the Dominican Order of
the Church initiated a tradition of celebrating
a Christmas novena in the early hours of the
morning. It is also believed that after the service,
worshippers walked the streets while some opted
to go to the beach. It was during the procession
back to their houses that churchgoers did window
shopping and greeted friends with holiday
blessings, hence the start of this wonderful festival.
There are several other festivals and events
throughout the year and the very hospitable
people of SVG are always ready to welcome visitors.
Facts on St. Vincent and
The Grenadines
Location
St. Vincent and the Grenadines is located between
St. Lucia, 24 miles to the North, and Grenada, 75
miles to the South. Barbados is 100 miles to the
East of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Mainland St. Vincent is situated at 13° 15’ N
Latitude and 60° 56’ W Longitude and is 18 miles
long and 11 miles wide.
Population Size
St. Vincent
Bequia
Mustique
Canouan
Mayreau
Union Island, Palm Island
and Petit St. Vincent
133 Sq Miles
7 Sq Miles
2 Sq Miles
3.2 Sq Miles
1 Sq Miles
3.8 Sq Miles
Language
English
Climate
Daily Range - 24°- 30° C/ 75° - 87° F
Currency
Eastern Caribbean (EC) Dollar. Pegged to the US
dollar US$1 – EC$2. 67.