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The history of the Caribbean is filled with stories of colonial imperialism where islands changed hands form country to country.  St. Maarten was no ace in the imperial holdings, but had its share of skirmishes and smoky gun battles which caused the island to change hands many times between the Spanish, Dutch and French powers.  The old stone forts which guard many of the islands inlets is proof of the islands turbulent past.

The island's true history started peacefully - traces of Stone Age people have been found on the island, dating back to 4,000 BC. Around 800 AD the island, as many of its neighbors was settles by Arawak Indians who arrived from South America to settle down to a life of fishing, hunting and farming.

The Arawaks were not alone, however. They were followed in the 14th century by a much more war-like tribe - the cannibalstic Carib Indians.  These new arrivals are the ones who gave the region its name, and knew St.Maarten as Soualiga, or "Salt Island" after its main mineral deposit. The remains of the Great Salt Pond can still be seen in Philipsburg today.

According to legend, Christopher Columbus sighted Soualiga on the 11th of November in the year 1493, the holy day of St.Martin of Tours, and he named the island after him - hence the name St.Maarten. The 11th of November is celebrated to this day, as St.Martin/St.Maarten's Day.

Although Columbus sighted and named the island, the Spanish made no initial attempt to settle here. Around the year 1630 the Dutch and French established small settlements on the island. The Spanish must have not taken to well to this settlement - they saw it as a threat to their influence in the region and attacked the island - driving out both the Dutch and French settlements.

The Dutch and French joined forces to repel the Spanish, and finally achieved this goal around 1644 when the Spanish finally abandoned their claims to the Eastern Caribbean altogether. After driving out the Spanish, the Dutch and French signed an accord (in 1648) and agreed to divide the island. Over the next few years, the boundary was the subject of numerous disputes. which were not settled until 1817. In this timeframe the island changed hands between the two powers 16 times.

As you walk through frontstreet, with its long rows of duty-free shops, think back on how Great bay must have looked 100 years ago.  Today over one and a half million people visit the island yearly to enjoy a relaxed lifestyle, but back then, the only visitors were merchant ships coming to port to pick up the main export of the island - SALT. Then as now, the courthouse with its small clocktower dominated the scene, but back then the 'square' as it's called today housed a single weigh-station where the salt was weighed before being loaded onto the waiting ships.  At its peak, the island produced over 4,000 tons of Salt Plantations on the island were relatively small, and there are really no grand colonial plantation mansions to be found on the island.  Nonetheless, the Dutch and French still managed to leave their mark by building homes and other structures that reflected their importance.

The gingerbread homes as we now call them, has roots stemming from the colonial construction methods. Many old structures are adorned with flamboyant fretwork - the design patterns on colonial houses designed to show off the owners station in society.

The fretwork also has a useful feature in that it filters sunlight while still allowing air to circulate.  A fun, artistic and beautifully functional adornment to round off any home, fretwork is now massed produced and is re-appearing on renovated buildings and new homes all over the island.

Costumes and dancers jam and jump their way along the streets of St.Maarten's capitol - Philipsburg- to the beat of calypso, soca and other island rhythms.  If you are watching this 4 mile long parade of color and glitz, its impossible not to get into the party spirit that we all call Carnival.

Two carnivals are held on the island each year - the one on the French side takes place during Lent, keeping the tradition of the French Creole Mas, while the other, the largest of the two, is celebrated on the Dutch side over a period of 17 days and nights with its main parade scheduled to coincide with the birthday of Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands, Beatrix.

Preparations for Carnival usually begin to warm up just after Christmas with the calypsonians releasing sneak previews of the songs for the event.  Many of these songs, as is a tradition in local Caribbean music, have a double-meaning and poke fun at some aspect of life or government.  Some are more daring that others and even include sensual double-meanings.  No matter which, these songs fill the airwaves of the local radio stations, and within a short time are being hummed, sung, and talked about around the island.

A large open area is converted to a Mecca of sights, sounds, shows, and local culinary treats - we call it 'The Carnival Village'.  This is where all the fun starts and ends during the 17 party period known as carnival. In the 'village' more than 100 booths are erected and patrons keep themselves busy preparing mouthwatering dishes like conch and dumplings, Johnny cakes, barbequed chicken, and a host of spicy soups which are said to all have aphrodisiac qualities.

In the village, calypsonians from all over the Caribbean compete for the title of King and Queen.  There are also other shows and performances by local, regional and international performers. After the crowning of the Calypso King and Queen, the revelers hit the streets for the Jouvert Jam - this is a parade of music and dancing through the streets which starts at 4AM and goes until sunrise.- but it doesn't end there, more parades, parties and pulsating tropical rhythms fill the day.

The finale for carnival is the burning of King Momo, a straw figure who is the manifested spirit of carnival.  Legend has it that by burning King Momo, the villages sins and bad luck are burned away, leaving the island pure and filled with hope for good things to come.

Carnival brings the whole island together - residents and visitors alike - there is no such thing as a bystander.  Anyone can join in the celebration and feel the carnival spirit move through them......we invite you to join us for Carnival.