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Issue link: https://digital.miamilivingmagazine.com/i/1173838
CULTURE In addition to its resplendent natural beauty, Saint Lucia has a celebrated gastronomical scene that includes rum-making, locally-brewed beers, a growing production of organic cacao and chocolates, and world-class Caribbean cuisine characterized by dishes harvested from the sea and farm-to-table, locally-grown produce. Saint Lucian food is a delectable fusion of East Indian, British, and French cookery. In line with its rich and vibrant cultural history, Saint Lucia holds several illustrious annual festivals proudly celebrating its roots. These include The Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival, as well as two rival flower festivals: La Woz ("The Rose") and La Magwit ("The Marguerite"). Both sensational floral festivals are a spectacle of costumes and color preluded by Creole seances (consisting of all-night-long singing and dancing) and leading to a day of Church-service marches, followed by a street parade, and, finally, "the grand fête": a great feast and party. It is relevant to note and said around the island that part of Saint Lucia's cultural diversity is attributed to the French and British settlers who battled for island control for over 150 years. Both ruled the island 7 times each with the British colonizing it last in 1814. The island gained its sovereign independence in 1979. The island is home to 178,000 warm and hospitable Lucians. English is the official language, although French Creole is also spoken throughout the island. The official currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (US$1 = EC$2.70), but US dollars are readily accepted everywhere.