It was a breezy day, and after a brief sprinkle the skies were clear above historic Whim Plantation in Frederiksted as Denmark and the U.S. Virgin Islands celebrated their historic ties and contemplated future cultural, tourist, business and technical exchanges during Transfer Day ceremonies Saturday.
As Virgin Islanders know from school, Transfer Day marks Denmark’s sale of the Virgin Islands to the United States on March 31, 1917.
Cars began arriving by 9 a.m. and by 10 a.m. hundreds of Virgin Islanders with Danish connections and Danes with V.I. connections had filled the grounds.
The rustic old plantation, with its Danish stone and woodwork, stood as a tangible reminder of the centuries of ties between that chilly European nation and the tropical island of St. Croix.
The Pearl B. Larsen School Dancers wore madras and danced quadrille and the St. Patrick’s School Steel Pan Orchestra played traditional tunes.
Dressed in white shirts and scarlet scarves and trousers, members of the Danish folk music and dancing group Rosendal Folkedansere, from the town of Hobros in northern Jutland, played and sang the Danish national anthem, "Det Er Et Yndigt Land."
V.I. officials and visiting dignitaries waxed poetic about the historic connections to Denmark and its continued ties through tourism, cultural, educational and business exchanges. Danish Consul General for New York Jarl Frijs-Madsen pointed to alternative energy and broadband internet as areas ripe for cooperation and collaboration between Denmark and the U.S. territory.
"Denmark does have a plan to be fossil-free by 2050 and is well on its way now. And your governor has a plan to reduce fossil fuel use by 60 percent by 2025," Frijs-Madsen said. "I think this is a good area for cooperation between our two countries and I look forward to that."
With broadband fiber going into the ground now and hubs to major undersea data cables, "high speed internet is the top of the world in this area," he said. "The journey between Denmark and the Virgin Islands can seem far in miles, but measured in cyberspace it is only a click away," he said.
He said Gov. John deJongh Jr. had just returned from an extensive visit to Denmark and prospects for the two states to work together and do business together were continuing to expand.
"There are up to 25,000 Danes visiting the Virgin Islands every year. This is an important part of the cultural exchange. I’m hopeful we will see more and more Danes coming here in the years to come and I am sure we will," he said.
James Bates Jr., the winner of the St. Croix Landmark Society’s 21st Annual John McCollum Essay contest, read his winning prose aloud. The 12-year old student at Church of God Holiness Academy recounted stories from his grandmother and others about how life used to be on St. Croix before the transfer, in the days of coal stoves, before television and gas ranges.
Sen. Myron Jackson, chair of the Culture, Historic Preservation, Youth and Recreation Committee and former executive director of the V.I. Cultural Heritage Institute, gave a keynote address, talking about the importance of knowing one’s history and culture.
After the ceremony, the Rosendal Dancers, Santa Cruz Brass Ensemble and St. Patrick’s Steel Band played. The crowd meandered about the grounds, mingling with Danish visitors and V.I. dignitaries, perusing exhibits from students around the territory and several museum exhibits about life on St. Croix before the transfer.
