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Jump
Up! St. Croix
From GypsyNester.com
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Four
times each year the people of St.
Croix take to the streets of Christiansted
for Jump Up, a Caribbean
flavored festival showcasing music, art, food and dancing.
The town is packed with revelers
on the oceanfront boardwalk and throughout the narrow, 18th
century Danish streets as native and tourist alike "jump
up" and celebrate all things Cruzan.
Traffic is closed to vehicles as pedestrians
visit the shops, drink in the bars and streets, eat local
dishes and, at every turn, find themselves awash in the
sounds of island
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The highlight of any Jump Up are the Mocko
Jumbies, the famous stilt walkers known for their distinctive
dancing. The meaning comes from Moko, an African god and
Jumbi which is a West Indian term for spirits or ghosts,
so they are "Good Gods" or "Good Spirits."
This art form originated in Ghana, West Africa and was adopted
by the people of the Caribbean. It is said by many that
Mocko Jumbies ward off the evil Jumbie
spirits that roam the St. Croix rain forest by night. History
aside, the Mocko Jumbies carry on the tradition of an art
form that is pure joy to watch.
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Along
Queen's Cross Street are vendors selling pates, (a local
dish of fried bread stuffed with beef, chicken or saltfish),
kebobs straight
off the grill (go for the local lobster ones), and rum drinks
with sugarcane juiced right before your eyes. It's delicious
and educational. A hint to the
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newbie...at the
bars, order your drinks "stateside" or you may find yourself
not remembering your Jump
Up experience at all. On St. Croix, rum is cheaper than everything
else in your drink, so it is poured liberally. Ask for the Cruzan
Rum, it's local and it's exceptional.
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Nothing
evokes the Caribbean mood like the lively Calypso of a steel
pan orchestra and at Jump Up you may have the pleasure of
seeing three or four different groups. Quelbe,
the official music of the Virgin Islands, is always in the
air. Just look for the Quadrille dancers in the street and
there you'll find a scratch band keeping Quelbe alive. Quadrille,
an ancestor to traditional square dancing, was once
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popular throughout
the Virgin Islands but now, on St. Croix is perhaps your only chance
to see it. There's always a Soca
or Reggae band or two to scratch that street dancing itch when your
feet just have to jump up.
Jump Ups start at 6 PM island
time and are celebrated in February near Valentines Day, the
first weekend in May in conjunction with the Half Ironman Triathlon,
just after the fourth of July to commemorate a local boy who made
it big, Alexander Hamilton of ten dollar bill fame, and Thanksgiving
weekend, a great time to visit St. Croix and to shop for unique
Christmas gifts. Pick something up for family or friends or just
give yourself the gift of a great
time on St. Croix.
see
all St. Croix essays
David & Veronica,
GypsyNester.com
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