There are many theories as to how “nine mornings” began. Probably the most repeated is that slaves who were not allowed in the churches roamed the streets singing carols while awaiting masters who attended Novena at church. Other theories postulate that free persons of African descent were preparing for the season with ritual cleaning /cleansing in keeping with African tradition. Another suggestion is that persons who were walking home from late night carolling in far villages were still singing on their way home in the early hours of the morn. Archival records note that police notices published in newspapers of the late eighteen hundreds gave permission for gatherings around Christmas time that identified the period from 16th December to New Year’s Day for public serenading. Thus it is accepted that “nine mornings” is at least one hundred years old in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
But, what is “Nine Mornings”? First as a tradition it was spontaneous, unscripted gatherings of young and young at heart persons who did whatever activities made for fun and celebration of the soon to be Christmas event. It was characterised by getting up early before sunrise, eating fruits, going for a sea bath or river bath, or window shopping. It was often accompanied by “catching” the first bread from the oven at the bakeries. In the late 1960's it was flavoured by the early morning dance hall fete; and some persons put Christmas lights on bicycles and rode around the town, while others skated on roller skates as the roads were unoccupied by motor-vehicular traffic.
By mid 1990s the tradition was dying as modern life, television and other electronic entertainment and the demise of live band music led to fewer and fewer persons on the streets. Two groups made a commitment to keep the tradition alive: El Groupo Amistade and Naked Roots. They combined to do early morning concerts and carolling on the upper area of Back Street in front of the building that then housed the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The support of the Embassy was important to the effort, as was the participation of the others who joined the core groups and were present on mornings to keep the event alive and going. That spark was noted by the Department of Culture and, with help from likeminded persons, a festival was born to keep the tradition alive. Now, some twenty years later, there are upwards of thirty community groups throughout the State who each year light up some area of their village and host a community programme in their neighbourhood. Nine Mornings is alive and well throughout the country including the Grenadines. A unique Vincentian tradition is still in existence between 4 and 6 am. for nine mornings from the 16th of December.