Starting from the north of the island, it is the month of January and ‘We Gatherin’ in St. Lucy. The theme for ‘gatherin’ in St. Lucy is ‘Faith.’ St. Lucy is the most northern of the eleven parishes that constitute the division of the island’s landscape and is referred to by one writer as ‘the cap’ of the island. This rural space covers 8,725 acres, it is the sixth largest parish, the only parish that touches the Atlantic Ocean on three sides and the only one that can boast of having the most bays. These bays are tied to the prehistoric settlement of the island, where the indigenous Amerindian people of the area were found to have settled. Archaeological evidence has proven the presence of these early settlers, who were here long before the Europeans came.
European settlement on Barbados from 1627 saw the
creation of parishes as early as 1629, and St. Lucy was
named amongst the first six parishes to be established.
Population size in St. Lucy has always been small and
ranked third lowest across the parishes. These features lend well to the beauty of its rural character of pastureland, agriculture, and other open spaces. There are also picturesque views across the ocean, which can be seen from the elevated rocky cliffs and promontories of its bays. The strong action of the wave action driven by the trade winds has created caves and fissures in the cliff face, which have resulted in blow holes that create spectacular geysers. Erosion is also responsible for many of the small bays, points, caves and sea stacks than in any other parish on the island. The landscape and geographical features of St. Lucy, marks it as one of the eleven beautiful parish wonders of Barbados.
Claudette Levi-Farnum
Historian