Lifestyle on Martinique : Discover

Discover Martinique : Way of life

Way of life

Antillean life swings with the rhythms of yesterday, habits are deeply rooted and continentals must be prepared to observe local customs, which is just as natural as it should be when in another place. If anybody here attempts to clean things up and start controlling or improving the service, he will automatically find himself in the greatest confrontation with the island’s identity. Traditional ways are not to be altered, whether they are good or bad, and those who undertake such ideals soon find themselves in the state of utmost unpopularity. Whatever the case, we do love these islands, and things do evolve at their own rhythm… fortunately!

Life on the West Indies

Life in the Antilles is unimaginable without music; its sunny rhythms fill the streets, busses and sports grounds at any time of the day or night. Ragga and zouk are bound to have you swinging in no time: relax and move your feet to these rhythms that express the Antillean soul, sentiments, caprice, tenderness and grace, a vitality to be found in all dances including biguine or mazurka.

The carnival period is busy with activity, firecrackers boom, pink confetti cover the streets like orchid petals and the towns bustle with five days of incessant dancing. This bodily liberty is a source of self-expansion for locals, but can be rather frustrating for those who plan to assist in this joyful scene without actually participating.

Ti-punch is also part of the pleasant rites of Antillean life, usually served in a glass bearing the stamp of the great rum distilleries named after century-old Creole families.

The West Indies are to be heard, sung and experienced, and not simply visited in order to acquire the obligatory suntan. Leave off relaxation, wander off the beaten track and stop to have a drink and converse with villagers in their picturesque habitations, bound to give you a warm welcome.

You are also bound to appreciate those memorable moments of solitude while gazing into infinity between sun and sea, into the depths of the multicoloured ocean. As a matter of fact, whatever you do here is a joy in itself: the pleasures of idleness, tenacity, meeting, music, of conversing, jumping, tasting, breathing, touching, uniting or separating: the pleasures of living free.

Creole

Creole, a language in constant evolution

The term “creole” is supposedly a version of the Spanish word “criollo” or the Portuguese “crioulliou”, an obvious etymology taking into consideration the pioneering role of these two nations in the colonisation of the Americas. Colonial development progressed at a relatively high speed, and administrative and social structures quickly became more and more complex. The arrival of other nations brought about the total partition of the newly discovered territory.

Immigrants began to arrive in successive waves and proceeded to detach themselves more and more from their origins, until their descendents knew little or nothing at all of their roots, preferring the culture of their new environment. This new population began to be referred to as “creole”, though the term was soon enlarged to include the whole of colonial culture, enriched by different European and African nations.

Another important factor was the massive deportation of Africans, issued from various countries and peoples, especially since captives who spoke the same language were systematically separated from each other, for obvious security reasons. Their descendents would be ignorant of their forefathers’ African past, and knew only the new region into which they were born. The incredible mosaic of cultures brought over from a continent far away was complemented by Amerindians as well as the colonists themselves, who occasionally came from godforsaken regions of their respective countries, where the king’s vernacular was not implemented in all cases.

Religion

The Catholic religion represents itself in each village by the presence of churches and linked institutions, as well as two cathedrals on the island. Religious diversity is visible, and cults such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists and the like are just as popular as the obligatory Catholicism, Voodoo and Animism. Hindus have also conserved their own rituals, and the Jewish and Muslim religions are also present on the island, though in much smaller numbers. Religion is part of everyday life, providing the spiritual basis for each gesture, event or ceremony.

Beliefs

“Carpe diem” is the philosophy of this island, encouraging all to take advantage of each instant of their lives, since happiness is ephemeral and may go as fast as it came. Madame Pelee, the volcano may swallow us up any day, Monsieur Wind is of extreme violence some days, and other natural phenomena, such as hurricanes, tidal waves and eruptions have contributed to the locals’ belief in the incontrollable and inexplicable roughness of elements. Martinique’s underwater fault, stretching out over ten metres wide from Tartane to the east to Saint Pierre to the west is another “paranormal” natural factor which is feared and mistrusted by the population.

Superstitions

History and the diverse components of the island’s population are reflected in the great number of superstitions present to our days. Haiti is a stone’s throw away, and voodoo cults have consequently found their way over the sea. Healers, fortune tellers, marabous and a good number of charlatans chant their rites in a secret language halfway between preaching and incantation, miracle and black magic. Whatever the case, this subject is still taboo and Antilleans will often deny any knowledge of the question, dodging it by retelling ancient historic tales of the infamous “quimboiseurs”, sorcerers capable of bringing back loved ones or healing that nasty whitlow. Hollywood’s favourite phantoms, the zombies also have an important seat in Antillean mythology. It is useless to say, though, that the increasing popularity of modern ways of life has greatly contributed to the progressive disappearance of these ancient beliefs.