Saint Martin (France) Culture

In this beautiful island nations, populations, languages, currencies, beaches, restaurants, parties are combined… there everything is conjugated to the plural. The island of Saint-Martin has managed to reach a harmony and that is why it is called “the friendly island” / “Friendly Island”. 80% of the population of Saint-Martín speaks Spanish fluently.

In the French part of the island, the carnival festivities begin on Epiphany Sunday and end on Ash Wednesday. During this period it is not uncommon to see costumed children asking drivers for candy. At night, concerts by local artists are organized. On the last day, little devils and devils parade through the streets to drum music. When the day draws to a close, Vaval, the King of Carnival (locally called Bois-Bois), is burned before being thrown into the sea amid the shouts of the crowd. In the Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin, carnival is celebrated during the month of April.

Main celebrations

• January 1 – New Year. It is the day most celebrated by the whole world. Julius Caesar set it to this date since it was the day on which the Roman consuls fulfilled their duties.
• January 6 – Epiphany (Catholic or Protestant Religion). The term derives from the Greek and means “appearance”. Celebrated on January 6, this festival corresponds to the presentation of the child Jesus to the Kings. Also this day celebrates the first miracle of the wedding of Cana and, first, the baptism of Christ.
• February – Carnival
• February – Music Festival
• May 1 – Labor Festival
• May 8 – Victory Party 1945
• May 27 – Abolition of slavery
• July 14 – Bastille Day (National Holiday). This is the symbol in France of the end of the monarchy and the beginning of the First Republic. During vacations all citizens feel part of the republican nation. That is why this day is so important for its celebration of the birth of the Republic.

According to Naturegnosis, the 5 of maypole of 1789 the king summoned the States General for escujar their complaints, but the assembly of the third state, representing the citizens soon rebelled and formed the National Constituent Assembly. The 20 of June of 1789, the deputies of the Third Estate took the oath of the ball game “not be separated until the establishment of the Constitution.” The people of Paris rose up and went to the Bastille, a state prison that held the absolute power of the Old Regime.

On July 14, 1789, the storming of the Bastille soon acquired great historical significance. It was proof that power no longer resided in the king, as God’s representative, but in the people, according to the theories developed by his philosophers in the 18th century. In two days the revolution was irreversible. For all the citizens of France, the storming of the Bastille symbolizes freedom, the struggle of democracy against oppression.

• July 21 – Schoelcher Feast.
• August 15 – Asuncion. The Assumption of the Virgin Mary is a dogma defined by the church with Pius XII, on November 1, 1950. The Pope said: “We declare as a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate mother of God, the Virgin Mary, after reaching the end of her earthly life ascended to heaven in body and soul.
• August – Sandy Ground Party.
• August – Annual party of the Haitian Immigrants Association.
• October 17 – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
• October 24 – United Nations Holiday
• November 1 – All Saints’ Day. All the cemeteries are illuminated.
• November 11 – Discovery Day. Armistice Anniversary.
• November – Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon.
• December – Election of Miss Caribe Hibiscus
• December 25 – Christmas Day. Christmas parade
• December 26 – Boxing Day.

Religion

It is a secular state, and its population is predominantly Catholic, with approximately 50% of the total, while there are more than 30% atheists. Other minority religions are Muslim, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Orthodox.

The population is diverse and so are its religions. There are more than 50 different confessions registered. The most numerous are Catholics and Protestants. Anglicans own a temple. There are also Adventist and Methodist communities of several thousand followers, as well as numerous churches of sectarian tendencies.

Food culture

Throughout the island, the cuisine is a mix of Creole and international cuisine. Pudding, accras, and colombo are served alongside French, Italian, Spanish, Indian, and Chinese cuisine. Traditional dishes of North American cuisine are included, such as hamburgers and pork ribs with barbecue sauce served with home-made fries, because the North Americans were the first tourists to the island.

Places of interest

On the island of San Martín, the main point of interest on Front Street is the Edificio de las Cortes. This historic white wooden structure dates back to 1793. Also of interest in Front Street is the museum whose main attraction is the exhibition of artifacts belonging to the Araucanian Indians, the first residents of the island.

There are ruins of two historic forts that are like two sentries at the entrance to Great Bay in Phillipsburg: Fort Amsterdam, on the west side of the bay, which dates back to 1631 and is said to be the first Dutch fort in the Caribbean. ; and on the eastern edge of the bay are the ruins of a Spanish fortress, built during a brief occupation by Spain.

Other attractions on the Dutch part of the island include a small zoo, with local fauna and flora that is located north of the Great Salt Pond, restaurants, casinos and, of course, the beaches, with Dawn Beach being excellent for diving.

The beaches on the French side are idyllic, particularly those of Baie Longue and Baie Rouge in Terres Basses in the western part of the island, where the La Samanna Hotel resort is located. A property of the Orient-Express chain, La Samanna has welcomed celebrities like Kevin Kline and Harry Belafonte. It has tennis courts, swimming pool, spa, gym and water sports. Orient Bay is another popular beach in St. Martin.

Marigot, the French capital, has a port, markets, galleries displaying local art, boutiques selling perfumes and creations by French designers.

The Butterfly Farm (“La Ferme des Papillons”) on Le Galion Beach Road in the Quartier d’Orleans on the French side, inaugurated in 1994, has a large area under net with gardens, lagoons, small waterfalls and hundreds of butterflies, including exotic blue morphs from the Amazon.