St. Lucia Independance Day | Happy Birthday St. Lucia! | Travel to St. Lucia

Happy Birthday St. Lucia! Go ‘head it’s your birthday! Go ‘head it’s your birthday! February 22^nd is the day to celebrate the anniversary of St. Lucia’s independence.

A quick timeline of how St. Lucia came to be:

• 200 A. D. the first settlers were the Arawak Indians
• 800 A. D. the Carib Indians expel the Arawaks and maintain control of the island
• Unknown whether Christopher Columbus or Juan de la Cosa was the first to “discover” St. Lucia (Not really sure how you can discover a place that was already inhabited)
• Francois Le Clerc was the first European to settle in St. Lucia (year unknown)
• 1635 the first colony established under French control
• Next 150 years St. Lucia comes under the rule of British and French authority no less than 14 times!
• 1814 Britain gains final control of St. Lucia following the Treaty of Paris and the island becomes a crown colony
• 1979 St. Lucia becomes an independent country under the British Commonwealth

Currently, about 150,000 people live in St. Lucia, and even though it is an independent nation it remains a member of the British Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State of St. Lucia. Representation for the queen on the island is by the Governor-General, Dame Pearlette Louisy. The Prime Minister, who holds executive power, is Stephenson King.

There will be several parades throughout the island to celebrate St. Lucia’s independence. I think independence is always a good thing. I’m glad St. Lucia is free to create and determine its own destiny for the citizens who live there and the people that love to visit! Happy Birthday once again and maybe next year I’ll stop by and have a piece of cake. Yum!

Let’s celebrate one of the most treasured places on earth!

via traveltostlucia.com