St. Lucia's official coat of arms was adopted on March 1, 1967. The emblem is made up of an azure shield divided by two bamboo sticks in the shape of a cross and surmounted over an African stool of authority. Diagonally arranged inside the shield and taking up the four quarters, there are two fleur-de-lis and a couple of Tudor roses. Crowning the emblem lies a golden helmet hedged with an azure and gilt wreath, and two twigs of fern intertwined behind an erect forearm that holds a flaming torch. The whole structure of the emblem is supported by two St. Lucia parrots (known locally as jacquots) placed on both sides of the shield with their wings extended upward and holding a twig of fern in their peaks. The lower part of the emblem features a ribbon with a motto reading: The Land-The People-The Light.
The music encore was composed by Leton Felix Thomas, while the lyrics-adopted in 1967 and later on made official with the independence in 1979- were thought up by Charles Jose. Sons and daughters of St. Lucia, love the land that gave us birth, land of beaches, hills and valleys, fairest isle of all the earth. Wheresoever you may roam, love, oh, love your island home. Gone the times when nations battled for this 'Helen of the West, gone the days when strife and discord. Dimmed her children's toil and rest. Dawns at last a brighter day, stretches out a glad new way. May the good Lord bless our island, guard her sons from woe and harm! May our people live united, strong in soul and strong in arm! Justice, Truth and Charity, our ideal for ever be!.
The Rose and the Marguerite are the symbols of the two flower societies of Saint Lucia. They emerged as winners of the National Flower Competition in September 1985. The national are associated with the Flower Festivals. Where, in some countries, the population may be divided into classes and castes, in the context of Saint Lucia's Cultural traditions there exist two "Societies", Roses and Marguerites -singing societies whose members are dedicated to the praising of those respective flowers.
The national bird is a kind of parrot that hails exclusively from St. Lucia (Amazonian varicolored). The parrot was declared a national symbol of the island nation back in 1979 and is protected by law. Hunting and illegal trading of this bird is banned. To that aim, the island’s Ministry of Agriculture launched out a campaign to save this endangered specie. This is a gorgeously beautiful green bird with blue cheeks and scarlet-hued chest. There are no visible difference between both male and female. Despite its size and breathtaking feathery, it's sometimes hard to make it out inside the leaves and twigs of the trees. The St. Lucia parrot has been a source of inspiration for several intellectual islanders and it's inserted in the national coat of arms.
