Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Culture Minister’s message on Virgin Islands Day celebration

Culture Minister’s message on Virgin Islands Day celebration

Good day and God’s blessings to the people of the Virgin Islands. On Monday, July 5th 2020, we will be celebrating for the very first time Virgin Islands Day. Following the advice of the BVI Public Holidays Review Committee, Cabinet decided on 2nd December 2020 that Territory Day would be replaced by Virgin Islands Day.
Territory Day came about when the Colony of the Leeward Islands was dissolved and the Virgin Islands became a stand-alone Colony of the United Kingdom on 1st July 1956. Before 1978 the holiday was named, “Colony Day”; it was thought that “Territory” was a more appropriate name than “Colony.” As a stand-alone Colony, the Virgin Islands legislature could then make laws for itself rather than having laws imposed on it by a federal legislature; therefore, this change represented greater autonomy for our legislature.

The shift from “Territory Day” to now “Virgin Islands Day” reflects a renewed sense of national consciousness and represents an effort to assert our unique identity as Virgin Islanders. It is a recognition that as Virgin Islanders that are a part of the Caribbean family, we have a distinct and separate culture and history that have shaped us to who we are today.

In our efforts to become a more self-determined people, Cabinet approved new holidays from this year moving forward, such as Heroes Day in October and 1949 March and Restoration Day in November. We will use these days to continue to celebrate our heroes, our political autonomy, certain events in our history, our past legislators, and the like.

The addition of these new holidays provides us with the opportunity, with the newly named Virgin Islands Day, to celebrate these Virgin Islands and its people—those with ancestral ties and those who have integrated into our community and assimilated our identity. Virgin Islands Day is about our families and communities; it is about our culture; it is about developing and supporting our economy; it is about appreciating, caring for, and enjoying our environment. Virgin Islands Day is about all things Virgin Islands.

A wonderful way to acknowledge this day is wearing your Territorial Wear, with all its wonderful, diverse, and creatively designed outfits. We can also wear our Virgin Islands patriotic t-shirts from our various t-shirt printing companies along with our Virgin Islands branded apparel.

We can organise family or community based events. For instance, this year we see the return of Fisherman’s Day*, traditionally held on what was known as Territory Day. This has been organised by members of the community on the eastern end of the island with sponsorship from individuals, businesses, members of the House of Assembly, and the department of Agriculture and Fisheries. This is an example of an activity that can be held to celebrate Virgin Islands Day.

This year we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we must all remain cautious and vigilant. Please wear your masks, sanitise, and socially distance. Only participate in events where there are strict protocols which are enforced and respected. Avoid activities where there is crowding and where transmission of the virus is likely.

On behalf of the Government of the Virgin Islands and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Agriculture, Fisheries, and Youth Affairs and Sports, I wish you all a very happy and safe Virgins Islands Day! God bless you and protect you!
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
×