In 1625 an English ship under the command of Captain John Powell arrived at the eastern Caribbean island of Barbados. Powell claimed the island in the name of King James I of England but it wasn’t until two years later that the first settlers arrived. Led by Powell’s brother, Captain Henry Powell, a party of 80 other shareholder settlers, along with ten slaves that he had captured en route, set up camp on the island. To maximise the money-making potential of the island’s tropical climate, Powell sought advice from the Dutch Governor in Guyana and went on to establish crop plantations including cotton, tobacco, yams and plantains. Until the 1630s, cotton and tobacco were Barbados’ main exports, but this soon changed with the introduction of sugar to the island in 1637.

Plantation workers were originally European indentured servants, but as the cost of white labour rose, a number of African slaves were brought over to work on the sugar cane plantations. This new crop soon became known as ‘White Gold’ due to the wealth that it produced and this valuable commodity was shipped back to England to be sold as sugar, rum and molasses. Over the years the number of sugar plantations on the island multiplied and at the country’s sugar-producing peak there were several hundred in production.

This historic west coast town of Bridgetown - originally named Jamestown after the king - hosts the annual Holetown festival in February to mark the landing of the first settlers. Originally held in 1977 over a weekend, the festival is now a week-long celebration of the island’s European and African heritage. It sees a number of colourful parades, folk singing and dancing, historic lectures, art exhibitions and sporting events.

The end of the sugar cane harvest has always been cause for celebration and even the slaves that worked on the plantations were granted the day off and invited to join the festivities in the great houses of the plantations. Throughout the 17th century, celebrations consisted of decorating animals and carts with flowers, eating, singing and dancing, as well as traditional games such as ‘climbing the greased pole’, in which revellers would strive to reach money at the top of the pole. Over the course of two centuries the celebrations developed into a lively festival, but due to the decline in sugar cane production, the festival was eventually cancelled in the 1940s. 1974 saw a revival of the festival and it has since been viewed as major cultural event and tourist attraction.

Nowadays the ‘Crop Over’ is Barbados’ largest festival and it has grown from a day-long celebration to a five-week party. Held annually in the capital, Bridgetown, the festival commences in July and ends with the Grand Kadooment parade, which takes place during the first Monday in August. The festival commences with a ceremonial delivery of the final sugar canes of the season by donkey and cart. Crowning the most successful sugar cane cutters king and queen is another long-held tradition.

Tens of thousands of locals and tourists come together to enjoy the colourful parades of sequinned and feathered costumes, elaborate headdresses, traditional soca music, dancers, competitions, market stalls and calypso tents. This cultural celebration also hosts art exhibitions and poetry readings, and serves traditional Bajan specialities including rum, barbecued meats and flying fish – the national dish. Tourists from across the world can discover more about the island’s history and culture with Barbados holidays.

Bruce Giles writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.