Societies of Saint Lucia

The societies (societés) of Saint Lucia also known as "Societies of the Flowers" (Dirks, 1987, p7) are two historic associations on the Antillean island country of Saint Lucia, La Woz ("The Rose") and La Magwit ("The Marguerite"). Other islands that have historically had these societies as well were Dominica and Trinidad. Ostensibly based around singing the virtues of the rose and globosa flowers, the societies are intense rivals, and their membership includes most of the population of the island. Each society holds a yearly festival, on August 30 for the "Roses" and October 17 for the "Marguerites".