We attended a “Jump Up” while in St. Croix on Friday, February 12. "Jump Up" is a widely
used term throughout the Caribbean for a street party. It has become one of St. Croix’s favorite social
events. At 6 PM, the historic town of
Christiansted is filled with the sounds of live music and steel drum
bands, dancing, food, drinks, and street vendors and the iconic Moko
Jumbies. Several local organizations and
restaurants had food booths set-up and were selling chicken, beef, and shrimp shish-ka-bobs and the popular Johnny
cakes and patés. (Johnny cakes are warm fried bread and pates are
small pastry pockets typically filled with spicy meat fillings
of chicken, beef, or conch.) And, of course, there were
booths selling rum drinks. You'll find rum at every event in St.
Croix. Many
of the local shops stay open late, allowing people to purchase handmade jewelry, art, clothing, accessories, and souvenirs. The
highlight of "Jump Up" for most is watching the Moko Jumbies. The Moko Jumbies are stilt dancers dressed in
brightly colored and ornate costumes. They are amazingly agile as
they dance and jump around, even bending over on
occasion to dance with someone or dance on one stilt while holding the other one in the air as they entertain the masses. "Jump Up" takes place 4 times
a year, and each has a special theme: February – Valentine’s
Day; May – Triathlon; July – Alexander Hamilton Day; November –
Holidays. It was an interesting evening. Below are some pictures of the event.
Street of Christiansted for Jump Up
Steel Pan Drum Band
Line for Roti
Sign
Moko Jumbies and Tourist
More Moko Jumbies