80.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesParade Celebrates Friendship Between V.I., Puerto Rico

Parade Celebrates Friendship Between V.I., Puerto Rico

Dancers from Ballet Folklorico Domincano swirl down the street.The streets in Christiansted heated up early Saturday with a Latino beat. Locals started lining King Street at 11 a.m. to help celebrate Virgin Islands Puerto Rico Friendship with a parade marking 50 years unity and friendship.

La Parada de la Hispanidad, celebrating all Hispanic culture, began at Bassin Triangle, and after traveling down King, cut in front of the Fort Christiansvaern park, and continued up Company Street to the Christian "Shan" Hendricks Vegetable Market.

The fun did not stop when the parade, sponsored by VI-PR Friendship Committee got to the market. The market was full of vendors and alive with people and music. The event was scheduled to last through the afternoon.

Puerto Ricans have been a significant part of U.S. Virgin Islands, and especially St. Croix, society for well over a century. Some celebrations and pageants occurred at least as early as 1960, when the first VI-PR Friendship Queen, Nereida Santos, was named, according to information from the VI-PR Friendship Committee. The celebration became official in 1964.

Four grand marshals led the parade: community activist Annie Martinez, restaurateur Zenaida Nunez, Edgardo Torre, owner of Glass 2000, and religious leader Samuel Carion.

VIPR Friendship Queen Janiqua Cintron and the VIPR Princess Aliyah rode in the back of trucks in 90-degree heat, patting their brows with handkerchiefs.

Three young St. Croix Majorettes surely felt the heat of the road doing synchronized cartwheels, splits, and back bends during a portion of the parade.

Friendship Committee members Mirza Saldania Lampe, left, and Domitila Vargas, lead the parade.Liv Gibbs, a resident who had a perfect viewing spot sitting on a park bench in the shade on the lawn at Fort Christiansvaern, said it was a nice little parade and she enjoyed being out on Saturday afternoon.

Some politicians running in the upcoming election walked the parade route shaking hands while others rode with their supporters in trucks.

Dressed in white, Ballet Folklorico Domincano, from Santo Domingo, danced and twirled the entire parade route.

The crowd arriving at the market fell into lines to buy traditional Puerto Rican and Crucian meals and refreshments from vendors.

Marquis Joseph, a senior at St. Croix Educational Complex High School, said the parade was a good reason to get out of the house.

“And a parade gives children something to do and it helps keep them out of trouble too,” Joseph said.

Jazmyne Willis, 11, dancing around the lawn at the fort, said she enjoyed the music. “And the breeze here feels good,” she said. “This is perfect.”

Saturday evening, Government House hosted a private ceremony honoring outstanding members of the Hispanic community on St. Croix. The events wrapped up special activities and events the committee sponsored in the months leading up to and during National Hispanic Heritage Month held from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.

2 COMMENTS