Christmas Day in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Christmas Day is listed by the Office of the Prime Minister as a public holiday in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and falls on December 25. The country’s Christmas season also includes Nine Mornings, a Vincentian tradition of early-morning gatherings in the days before Christmas.[1][2]
Public-holiday status and observed days
The Office of the Prime Minister’s public-holiday calendar lists Christmas Day on December 25. The Department of Labour’s brochure says industrial workers are paid double time for work on a public holiday.[1][5]
An official notice about 2022 records a specific substitute-day decision. Christmas fell on Sunday, and because Boxing Day was already a holiday on Monday, the Cabinet declared Tuesday, December 27 a public holiday. The notice says the usual practice was for the holiday to be given on the following day.[4]
Christmas and its Vincentian setting
Christmas Day is part of the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, official tourism information describes a month-long National Christmas Festival, with caroling contests, community lighting programmes and street concerts across the country.[3]
The most distinctive local tradition documented in government sources is Nine Mornings, which takes place in the run-up to Christmas. The Government describes its origins as uncertain, while linking the early-morning custom to Catholic novena services on the nine days before Christmas.[2]
Nine Mornings before Christmas
Government descriptions say participants wake in the early hours for activities that include sea baths, dances, bicycle riding and street concerts. The Government’s festivals page describes pre-dawn concerts, competitions, traditional music and steel pan in towns and villages during the nine mornings before Christmas.[2][3]
The Government account says some people associate the custom with slavery, but considers a post-emancipation origin more likely. It also recounts a tradition in which people walked the streets or went for sea baths after early-morning Catholic services.[2]
Planning for the holiday
Check opening hours with shops and holiday timetables with transport operators before setting out.[1]
For industrial workers covered by the Department of Labour brochure, work on a public holiday is paid at double time. The brochure’s definition includes work in areas such as manufacturing, construction, and passenger or goods transport by land, air or sea; it also says it does not contain all the information in the relevant wages regulation order.[5]
Frequently asked questions
When is Christmas Day in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?
Christmas Day is observed on December 25, according to the Office of the Prime Minister’s public-holiday listing.[1]
Is Christmas Day a public holiday?
Does the holiday move if Christmas falls on a Sunday?
A 2022 government notice records a Tuesday substitute holiday because Christmas fell on Sunday and Boxing Day was already a holiday on Monday. That notice does not set out an automatic rule for every year.[4]
Are shops and transport services open on Christmas Day?
Shops and transport operators set their own hours, so check with them before you travel.
Sources and references
Sources used for Christmas Day in St. Vincent & Grenadines:
- Public Holidays- Office of the Prime Minister, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Nine Mornings- Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Annual Festivals- Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Declaration of Tuesday 27th a Public Holiday- Office of the Prime Minister, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Industrial Workers- Department of Labour, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines