Table of Contents
Saint Lucia Flag
The cerulean blue in the flag represents fidelity. It also reflects our tropical sky and our surrounding waters, the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The gold in the flag represents the sunshine in the Caribbean as well as prosperity.
The black and white symbolize Saint Lucia’s cultural influences. The white denotes our European heritage and the black denotes our African heritage. They represent the two races living and working in unity. The design represents the dominance of the African culture in relation to that of the European culture against a background of sunshine and blue sea. This is represented by the three triangles in the centre of the flag, symbolising three pitons.
The isosceles triangle is reminiscent of the island’s famous twin Pitons located in Soufriere, rising sheer out of the sea, towards the sky. They represent a symbol of the hope and the aspirations of our people.
Designed by: Dunstan St. Omer
National Anthem of Saint Lucia
Lyrics of the National Anthem:
Sons and daughters of Saint Lucia
Love the land that gave us birth
Land of beaches, hills and valleys
Fairest isle of all the earth.
Wheresoever you may roam
Love, oh love, our island home.
Gone the times when nations battled
For this Helen of the West
Gone the days when strife and discord,
Dimmed her children’s toil and rest
Dawns at last a brighter day
Stretches out a glad new way.
May the Good Lord bless our island
Guard her sons from woe and harm
May our people, live united
Strong in soul and strong in arm
Justice, truth and charity
Our ideals forever be.
Lyrics by: Rev. Charles Jesse FMI
Music by: Mr. Leton Thomas
Coat of Arms
The Emblems of the Coat of Arms and What they Represent:
- The Tudor-Rose represents England
- The Fleur-De-Lis represents France
- The African Stool represents Africa
- The Torch represents a Beacon to light the path
- The Birds represent the National Bird, the Amazona versicolor
- The Bamboo cross represents the National Plant
- The Land, the People, the Light is the Motto
Designed by: Sydney Bagshaw
Saint Lucia National Pledge
“With God as my guide, I pledge allegiance to my country, Saint Lucia. I proclaim that I will serve my country with pride and dignity and will defend it with vigour and valour in the pursuit of excellence, justice and equality for all.”
Authored by: Jeff “Pelay” Elva
The National Bird
Saint Lucia’s national bird is the Amazona versicolor, found only in Saint Lucia.
It is predominantly green in colour, and a typical specimen has a cobalt blue forehead merging through turquoise to green on the cheeks and a scarlet breast. There are no visible differences between the two sexes. In former times this bird was not as rare as it is today.
In 1902 it was described it as “not uncommon in the high woods of Saint Lucia.” Whilst in 1928 Bond wrote about this parrot, “Occurs in some numbers in the mountains of Saint Lucia from La Sorciere, south along the backbone ridge.”
In 1979 the Saint Lucia Parrot was declared the island’s National Bird and in 1980 wildlife legislation was revised.
Today the parrot, and most other forms of wildlife are absolutely protected year round and anyone found hunting, keeping or trying to trade in these birds is liable to a fine of $5000 or 1 year in jail.
Forestry laws were also revised to protect watersheds as well as wildlife habitats, and illegal clearing of forest are punishable by fines of $2000.
During the last decade protected areas have been set aside and educational programmes initiated. These are having the desired effect. By 1988 the Saint Lucia Parrot was slowly increasing in numbers and today its population stands at about 250.
Our national bird can be observed in the forests of Quilesse, Millet and Edmund, symbolic of the island’s beauty and uniqueness.
In 1982, the first ever successful captive breeding of the Saint Lucia Parrot occurred at Jersey in the United Kingdom. In 1989, two young parrots were returned to Saint Lucia and can be seen at Union Mini Zoo.
Saint Lucia’s National Bird remains an endangered species and still needs your help. To find out how you can help please contact the Saint Lucia Forestry Department 758 468-5649/5645/5648 or via e-mail at: sluforestrails@hotmail.com.
National Flowers/Plant/Tree
The Rose and the Marguerite are the symbols of the two flower societies of Saint Lucia. They emerged as winners of the National Flower Competition in September 1985. The national flowers are associated with the Flower Festivals.
The National Plant is the Bamboo.The National Tree is the Calabash.
National Dish
The national dish of St. Lucia is Saltfish and Green Fig Pie. Early slaves discovered that saltfish was a good source of protein. Green figs are green bananas. This great tasting dish is made with Green Figs, which are (bananas), salted codfish, seasonings and cheese are the pie’s filling.
Source: www.stlucia.gov.lc
