(CASTRIES, Saint Lucia – Tuesday, November 12, 2019) – The Cultural Development Foundation (CDF) is currently preparing to host its December Festivals which form part of the CDF’s mandate of highlighting the island’s cultural traditions.
Thus far, the lantern-making workshops that usually precede the annual Lantern-Making Competition have begun in earnest. Lantern-making workshops are being hosted at nine venues – eight schools and the CDF Conference Room, with facilitators visiting the venues to assist the students with their creations.
The participating schools in this year’s Lantern-Making Competition are Morne Dudon Government Combined School, Odsan Combined Primary School, Forestierre Methodist Primary School, Micoud Primary School, Desbarras Combined Primary School, Boguis Primary School and the Ave Maria Girls’ Primary School.
The Lantern-Making Competition is scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 7 at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) from 2:00 p.m. However, the pre-judging element of the competition begins from 11:00 a.m. that same day.
The CDF, through collaborations with corporate partners, will provide base materials for the lantern-making workshops. These include cardboard, paper sheets, among other items.
Deadline for submissions of applications for the Lantern-Making Competition is Friday, December 6, 2019 at 4:30 p.m. Submissions can be made in the following categories: National, Traditional, and Contemporary.
Aside from the Lantern-Making Competition hosted by the CDF, there’s also the Secondary Schools Lantern Competition sponsored by the Mayor of Castries, Peterson Francis. Winners will be chosen via a people’s choice format. The lanterns will be placed in Blue Coral Mall from December 4-10 so that members of the public can view them and vote.
Meanwhile, this year’s Festival of Carols will be held on Sunday, December 1 from 7:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Fatima Church in La Clery, Castries.
The Festival of Light Ceremony will be held on December 12 from 7:00 p.m. at Derek Walcott Square. The event will begin with the procession of lantern bearers, masqueraders and stilt walkers from Peynier Street onto Micoud Street and into Derek Walcott Square.
This year’s Festival of Lights is being held under the theme “A Creole Christmas” and will feature various local artistes, bands and choirs.
For more information, contact the Cultural Development Foundation at (758) 457 9021, (758) 452 1859, or (758) 453 7385.
Photos by: Stan Bishop
