Crucian-Rican Breakfast Was Last Lap Party, Food Galore

If you failed to appear at any of the Crucian Christmas Carnival 2014-2015 events, Tuesday in downtown Christiansted was the last chance to jump and wave in the streets, as Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights led a sizable crowd from Basin Triangle beginning at 6 a.m. all the way to the Christian Hendricks Market in celebration of the Crucian-Rican Breakfast, an event that is always lively and always with so much good food.

The event, held annually on Three Kings Day, celebrated its ninth year with bands, a deejay and, of course, exceptional food. The mood, as has been the reality throughout the Carnival season, remained festive as revelers made their way up Company Street to settle at the market with a final dance of the Electric Slide.

“Happy New Year!” the Sleepless Knights’ lead singer called out from the slow-moving truck that carried the band, receiving a resounding response from those strutting alongside. Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights has been the only band to lead the nearly decade-old event and is the go-to group for many cultural gatherings on St. Croix.

The Crucian-Rican Breakfast is marked by two things: the tramp and the food, which is donated by various organizations that prepare and serve it themselves.

This year, ScotiaBank provided bread and cake served with saltfish (cod fish) and bush tea, along with multiple other organizations, serving a combined 800-plus plates to those who attended the festivities.

Large crowds of people could be seen standing in line at the market awaiting complimentary servings of various soups, roast pork, goat water, pig souse and more.

Marcellino Ventura, Sr., former deputy fire chief who drove the float carrying the Three Kings, said this year’s event was the best attended and represents an uptick in participation, as younger people could also be spotted throughout the throng.

Scotia Bank employees serving breakfast.

After the Ten Sleepless Knights finished its set, Digital Band took over, performing popular hits like Pressure’s “Virgin Islands Nice” anthem, along with some of the band’s original tunes. A deejay was on hand to keep the party going after Digital Band wrapped up.

Even as the event has seen substantial growth this year, certain actions taken by the organizers point toward a revitalization of past traditions being fused with new, relevant ideas.

That, Ventura says, is a good thing.

“This is the first in a long time that the Virgin Islands Crucian-Rican Breakfast utilized the float, instead of just having the Three Kings walk down the road,” he said. “It is a tradition of the past, but they’re growing it again.”

And so it went, this year’s Crucian-Rican Breakfast, a holiday favorite the community will surely be looking forward to celebrating for many more years to come.